Brock Lesnar punishes Mark Hunt in victorious return to the UFC

Brock Lesnar returned at UFC 200 from a five year hiatus from mixed
martial arts and earned a unanimous decision victory over former title
contender Mark Hunt on Saturday night.

Lesnar announced that he
was returning to the UFC just a few weeks ago and he got matched up with
Hunt as part of the biggest card of the year.

Ever since he
retired in 2011, Lesnar said that his exit from the UFC haunted him
after a crippling bout with diverticulitis forced him to sit on the
sidelines for a huge part of his career.

So he decided to return
and it looks like Lesnar made a good decision after picking up a win
over a top 10 heavyweight like Hunt in the co-main event at UFC 200.

Lesnar
didn’t come charging at Hunt to start the fight as so many expected and
instead he sat back and waited for the perfect opening to look for a
takedown.

Once he finally planted Hunt on the mat with a massive
slam, it was vintage Lesnar as he started punching away at Hunt while
pressing down on the veteran kickboxer with his massive frame.

Lesnar
ended the first round in the mount with punches raining down at Hunt
but as the second round got underway, his takedowns weren’t quite as
effective. Hunt started working his sprawl and he got away from several
single leg takedown attempts from Lesnar and it looked like the former
heavyweight king was getting a little winded.

Despite the opening,
Hunt really couldn’t take advantage of the opening although it appeared
he won the round with a few more offensive shots landed over five
minutes.

As the third round started, Lesnar was once again sitting
back and waiting, but he finally exploded forward in another takedown
and he got Hunt down to the mat. Lesnar not only took Hunt down, but he
had him stuck against the cage and that’s where the massive heavyweight
really started to pour on the punishment.

Lesnar was relentless
with his pressure as he put all of his weight on Hunt’s chest and kept
punching away at his head in an attempt to get a stoppage. Hunt was able
to move enough to avoid being finished, but as the final round horn
sounded, it was clear that Lesnar had done enough to get the win.

An
emotionally charged Lesnar was grateful in victory as the judges all
returned scores of 29-27 giving the former heavyweight champion his
first win inside the Octagon since defeating Shane Carwin at UFC 116 in
2010.

“It took me a little while to get acclimated. Words can’t describe it. Thank you everybody. Thank you so much,” Lesnar said.

It
was a long road back for Lesnar, but with a victory on Saturday night
it’s hard to imagine he’ll be satisfied with just one fight back in the
UFC. Lesnar teased all week long that he was undecided about his
fighting future, but considering his win over Hunt, he might just be
ready for another top 10 heavyweight inside the Octagon.

Lesnar
also dedicated his fight to the United States military before making a
statement to the Las Vegas crowd and the millions watching around the
world after a tragic few days in Dallas.

“From one white boy to all nationalities, we’ve got to stand together people,” Lesnar said before leaving the Octagon.