UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson

Mark Hunt (9-8-1) vs. Roy Nelson (21-9)

Fan favorite Roy "Big Country" Nelson will look to get a big win on Saturday night as he takes on Mark Hunt in Japan.

Here is the Bet DSI breakdown on Saturday's UFC Fight Night:

Hunt is coming off a rare draw in the UFC, but the fans in that case were thrilled. Hunt and Antonio Silva provided one of the most entertaining fights in heavyweight class history. In that Dec. 6 fight, Hunt showed great cardio to be going all-out for the entire fight and landing 103 significant strikes (Silva landed 97). That result was a great sign for Hunt who was coming off a tough loss to Junior Dos Santos seven months earlier. Hunt’s biggest weakness is that he is only 5-foot-10, and that is a big disadvantage when it comes to competing in the heavyweight class. Luckily for him, Nelson stands at only 6-foot-1. Nelson has always been a fan favorite in the sport, as he has shown the ability to end the fight in a hurry. In his last match, the 38-year-old showed off that knockout power with a win against Antonio Nogueira, knocking him out in the first round. Like Hunt, he was coming off a tough string of losses, so he needed to get back on the winning track. Both of these fighters are entering the final stages of their careers, and will look to get another big win. HUNT showed that he is able to go the distance in a fight, something that Nelson has struggled with in his career, and that will be the difference.

"Super Samoan" Hunt enters this fight with only nine career victories, with six of them by way of knockout. However, the cardio of this 40-year-old has played a big role in his career, as he also has three wins by decision, which has helped him to a 4-1-1 mark in his past six fights. Hunt will have a huge advantage when it comes to significant strikes landed, as he lands 3.53 per minute, compared to 2.23 for Nelson. He is also much more accurate, landing 46 percent of his attempts, while Nelson converts on only 34 percent of his strikes. The longer this fight goes, the better chance that the New Zealand native will have for the victory. However, if it turns into a brawl early, then Nelson will have a great opportunity to prevail.

Nelson has 21 victories in his career, with 14 of them coming by way of knockout. He also has four wins by submission and three wins by decision. He is at his best when he is able to use his striking, as Nelson possesses some of the best knockout power in the spot. However, if he doesn’t win the match early, he really tends to struggle, as his cardio is not where it needs to be. "Big Country" has won four matches by submission, but lands only 18.2 percent of his takedown attempts. For the Las Vegas-based Nelson to win, he has to get off to a fast start and not allow the fight to get to the later rounds.