Lesnar vs Hunt Betting Odds Breakdown

There is now less than three weeks until the biggest card in MMA history, UFC 200, takes place. In this article we will observe the Lesnar vs. Hunt betting odds.

On June 4th at UFC 199, the MMA world blew up. Michael Bisping defied all the odds by knocking out rival Luke Rockhold in the 1st round, but the real US gambling news was Brock Lesnar’s return after his quick cameo on the UFC 200 promotional trailer.

In that clip, Lesnar’s infamous “can you see me now?!” line is heard, before a quick shot of a hulking Lesnar fake punches the camera. Very few saw this coming, and even UFC commentator Joe Rogan was dumbfounded, thinking aloud, “what does that mean?” It was quickly announced that Lesnar would indeed return for UFC 200, against one of the scariest men in the heavyweight division, Mark Hunt. With less than three weeks to go before the fight, we at GamingZion have broken down the Lesnar vs Hunt betting odds, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each fighter.

Striking: Brock Lesnar

The obvious Achilles heel in Brock Lesnar’s MMA game is his striking. He has been a wrestler for the majority of his sporting life, and failed to show much fluidity while on his feet during his MMA run. Still though, a man his size can always be dangerous, and he managed to take out Randy Couture with a hard shot to the temple.

Lesnar was exposed in the striking department by both Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez. Against Carwin, Lesnar was able to survive the early onslaught and comeback to win, but Velasquez did not make the mistake of gassing out. Cain picked his shots carefully against Lesnar, brutally finishing him by TKO in the first round.

After a battle with diverticulitis, Lesnar returned to face striking powerhouse Alistair Overeem. Lesnar, who had recently taken 12 inches of his colon out in surgery, was unable to last long against the Dutchman. Overeem utilized heavy body shots and eventually finished the fight with a kick to the body.

Unless Lesnar can get Hunt to the ground early and keep him there, he is in for a rough night. Hunt is perhaps the hardest hitter in the division, and has shown an impressive ability to stop takedowns in many of his fights. The Lesnar vs Hunt betting odds are predicting the American to avoid Hunt’s striking game.

Striking: Mark Hunt

The king of the walk-off KO will look to add to his two-fight win streak at UFC 200 against Brock Lesnar. Hunt is without a doubt one of the most dangerous strikers in the sport, and will likely try to avoid any type of grappling exchanges with Lesnar. That may be easier said than done, but if Hunt is able to keep the fight standing, this fight should not last long.

After an impressive kickboxing career that saw Hunt defeat some of the best fighters on the planet including Peter Graham, Jerome Le Banner, and Stefan Leko, he made the transition into MMA. That appeared to be a good decision, as he won 5 of his first 6 fights including wins over Wanderlie Silva and Mirko Cro Cop. He hit a wall in July of 2006, however, and lost his next 6 fights, after which most online gambling sites in the US were predicting Hunt would retire.

Finally, in February of 2011, Hunt got back in the winning column with his now trademark walk-off KO against Chris Tuchscherer. He won his next three fights afterwards, and was put into a number one contender Junior dos Santos. During this win streak, Hunt utilized his masterful striking technique to defeat his opponents. His left hook KO of Stefan Struve was a thing of beauty, and Hunt became just the second fighter in history to stop Roy Nelson with strikes.

There is no doubt that Hunt has a massive striking advantage here. Many Lesnar vs Hunt betting odds are predicting a Mark Hunt KO. He may look to land a counter uppercut as Lesnar shoots in for a takedown, a move he used to defeat one of Lesnar’s teammates in 2011.

Grappling: Brock Lesnar

As a wrestler, Brock Lesnar is one of the most dangerous men on the planet. He is capable of taking down anyone he faces, and when he lands on top, he does heavy damage. Against Frank Mir (in their second fight) Lesnar controlled the grappling and landed numerous hard shots on the mat. Lesnar showed an improved submission game against Shane Carwin, finishing him with an arm-triangle in the second round.

Lesnar was recently awarded his blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jistu, which indicates he is working hard on his grappling. Hunt has shown vulnerabilities to submissions in his career, and if Lesnar can tire out the New Zealander, he may be able to get the tap. Some Lesnar vs Hunt betting odds are favoring Brock to win via submission.

There is no doubt that grappling will be the main focus of this fight for Brock. Every second he spends on the feet against Hunt is dangerous. Lesnar will likely look to shoot his tremendous blast double leg against Hunt, and once on the ground, work his ground and pound and eventually look for a submission.

Grappling: Mark Hunt

Despite tremendous improvements over the past few years, few would consider Mark Hunt an elite grappler. Early in his career, the blueprint to beat Mark Hunt was simple, take him down and grab onto a limb. Today, that is easier said than done.

Mark Hunt showed how much his grappling had improved when he took on Fabricio Werdum. In that bout, Werdum was unable to take Hunt down, and when the fight eventually did hit the mat, the New Zealander utilized excellent posture and landed heavy shots. His success in the bout with Werdum is likely a big reason why the Lesnar vs Hunt betting odds are as close as they are.

Hunt will look to avoid the grappling exchanges with Lesnar as much as he can in this fight. It seems unlikely he will kick against the American, more than likely he will look to land one of his explosive uppercuts.

Who do you think will win the fight? Can Lesnar take Hunt down? Leave your comments below, and make sure to check out GamingZion’s list of online sportsbooks in the US for a full list of websites offering Lesnar vs Hunt betting odds!