Antonio Silva and Mark Hunt couldn't exactly be called Weebles on Saturday in Brisbane, Australia; both men wobbled and fell down.
But neither man could be beaten.
In one of the most memorable MMA fights in recent memory, according to multiple media reports, Silva and Hunt fought to a majority draw at UFC Fight Night 33.
One judge scored the bout 48-47 for Hunt (now with a 9-8-1 MMA record and 4-2-1 in UFC), the underdog coming into the event; the other two had the bout even at 47-47. Silva's record moved to 18-5-1 in MMA competition and 2-2-1 in the UFC.
"It was a great fight," sherdog.com reported Hunt as saying. "To all the fans, thank you. You make this sport what it is."
According to MMAJunkie.com, the two heavyweights traded blows for nearly the entire five rounds. The fight went back-and-forth. Hunt surprised Silva with his superior ground work over the course of the five rounds.
Both fighters had their moments. Sherdog.com reported that Hunt nearly drew a submission from Silva in the third round, but "Bigfoot" turned the tables on Hunt in the fourth round.
"I'm so happy," Silva said. "Mark is a tough guy. I trained a lot for this fight. A few weeks ago, I injured my back, but I came here to fight, and I did my best today."
MMAJunkie.com reported that after each fighter put the other one on the canvas during the first four rounds, but both men remained upright in the fifth and final round. At one point, the referee stopped the fight with three minutes left in the fifth round to get a ringside doctor to examine a cut over Silva's left eye that bled down his face.
Sherdog reported that the two fighters embraced after the decision was announced, sensing the need to hold each other up. It added that neither Silva nor Hunt appeared angry or disappointed with the decision. Both were taken to the hospital after the fight as a precaution, MMAJunkie.com reported.
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