Mark Hunt faces Bigfoot Silva in rematch at UFC 193

MANILA, Philippines – Mark Hunt and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva will get the chance to settle their score as both men are booked to meet again in the co-headliner of the UFC 193 pay-per-view event on November 15 (November 14 in US).

The mixed martial arts maxim “leaving it all in the cage” was used a lot in the first encounter between Hunt and Silva as the two heavyweights showcased an exceptional war inside the Octagon and went back and forth by trading significant strikes for 5 rounds.

Having fought through one of the most entertaining heavyweight matches in recent memory, the bloody slugfest resulted into a majority draw.

Hunt (10-10-1) has lost back-to-back bouts since knocking out Roy Nelson in September 2014, yielding to Fabricio Werdum via second-round stoppage for the interim UFC heavyweight belt in November 2014 before suffering a fifth-round technical knockout setback to Stipe Miocic in May.

Silva (19-7-1) placed himself back on the winning track with a second-round demolition of Australian heavyweight Soa Palelei this month. 

Aside from Hunt vs Silva II, promotion officials also added the middleweight showdown between Michael Bisping and Robert Whittaker to the UFC 193 fight card.

In July, Bisping (27-7) eked out a split decision against Thales Leites in his first fight in the United Kingdom for nearly 5 years.

Meanwhile, Whittaker (14-4) has won 3 straight UFC outings since a disappointing defeat to Stephen Thompson in February 2014.

The 24-year-old Australian standout has recently picked up two impressive finishes, stopping Clint Hester in the second round in November 2014 before scoring a first-round destruction of perennial contender Brad Tavares in May.

UFC 193, which takes place at the 53,359-capacity Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, is headlined by a welterweight championship clash between current titleholder Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit. – Rappler.com