Sherdog.com’s 2013 Knockout of the Year

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4. Spin Cycle

Sometimes, Cinderella’s pumpkin gets smashed on the way to the ball. Such was Mark Hunt’s night at UFC 160.

Nearly two years prior to Hunt’s May 25 clash with Junior dos Santos, “The Super Samoan” joined the UFC to little fanfare. Hunt had ended his career in Japan with five consecutive defeats, capping the stretch with stoppage losses to the undersized Melvin Manhoef and Gegard Mousasi. UFC President Dana White even offered to buy out Hunt’s Pride Fighting Championships contract and let him walk away -- an offer Hunt turned down.

The low expectations placed on the heavyweight were validated during his inauspicious UFC debut, in which he was submitted by Sean McCorkle at UFC 119. However, Hunt gradually began to improve his performances thereafter. First came a one-punch walk-off against Chris Tuchscherer and a roll-about with Ben Rothwell in the thin air of Denver. Cheick Kongo was next, followed by Stefan Struve, who had his jaw broken by a vicious Hunt left hook in Saitama, Japan.

Without warning, Hunt had somehow compiled a four-fight winning streak and earned himself a shot at the UFC’s resident Super Macho Man in Junior dos Santos. If Hunt could somehow manage to beat the former champion, it appeared UFC brass would have no choice but to give the underdog his shot at Cain Velasquez and the heavyweight title.

Known for his sharp boxing and devastating power punching, dos Santos was rightly viewed as a large favorite heading into his showdown with the onetime K-1 World Grand Prix winner. Hunt, meanwhile, was looked upon as an underdog, to be certain, but there were nevertheless rumblings that the stocky veteran possessed the striking skills and the resolve to touch “Cigano” if he could close the distance.

This proved easier said than done, however, as Hunt found it difficult to dodge the long right hand of the former champion, hitting the deck in the first round after eating a crisp cross. Hunt quickly recovered from the blow and kept moving forward in the second period, absorbing serious punishment in an effort to dole out some of his own. The Brazilian scored a takedown as the round waned and followed up with some nasty elbows as Hunt did his best to defend himself off his back.

The final round saw a fatigued Hunt search desperately for a home run, but “Cigano” proved too agile. Tired but clearly the fresher of the two men, dos Santos brought a beautiful end to the contest with less than a minute remaining, catching the notoriously durable New Zealander with a hard left hook and then knocking him flat with an unexpected spinning hook kick.

One sledgehammer right to the jaw of his supine opponent was all it took for dos Santos to turn out Hunt’s lights and become just the second man to knock out the Kiwi in MMA. The victory set the stage for dos Santos’ Oct. 19 rubber match with Velasquez, in which “Cigano” was brutalized for the majority of 23 minutes before falling to the champion.

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