Mark Hunt doesn't believe in hitting singles. Walk-off knockouts or bust.
Hunt (10-8-1) put away the notoriously durable Roy Nelson with a right uppercut at the 3:00 mark of the second round of their heavyweight bout. The fight headlined a UFC Fight Night on Saturday at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
The heavyweight fight featured back-and-forth action, which appeared to take a toll on Nelson's gas tank. He fell face first into the canvas after eating the right hand, and referee Leon Roberts immediately stopped it as Hunt raised his arms in celebration.
Nelson (20-10), who had only been knocked out once previously, protested the stoppage, but it was clear he was badly hurt at the time Roberts stepped in.
When asked who he'd like to fight next, Hunt, who had not won a fight since March 2013, requested any highly ranked opponent.
"A rematch is always good for me," said Hunt, without specifying a name. "Anyone in the top 10."
Nelson looked good early in the fight, showcasing a little more than the infamous right hand he's known to repeatedly throw in each of his fights. He was denied an early single-leg takedown attempt, but used the threat of one to land an early right hand. After getting accidentally poked in the eye by Hunt, he landed another right hand and then a thudding outside kick to Hunt's lead leg.
Hunt never appeared bothered by Nelson's punching power, however. He walked forward mostly behind the jab and landed several leg kicks of his own. He nearly took Nelson's head off with a left hook during one early exchange.
Nelson's cardio started to visibly fail him in the second round, after he scored the first and only takedown of the fight but couldn't take advantage of it. He tried to move to Hunt's back and was nearly successful, but Hunt eventually stood and escaped out the back. With Nelson breathing heavily, Hunt calmly pressured him with jabs and right hands. He defended two weak takedown attempts from Nelson and staggered him with a left hook.
The final sequence took place near the fence. Hunt measured the right uppercut as the flat-footed Nelson ducked under what he anticipated to be a straight punch.
It is the seventh knockout of Hunt's professional mixed martial arts career and his fourth in the UFC. He improves his Octagon record to 5-2-1. The 40-year-old New Zealand native fought Antonio Silva to a five-round draw in his most recent fight in December. Prior to that, he suffered a third-round TKO loss to former champion Junior dos Santos at UFC 160. ESPN.com ranked Hunt the No. 6 heavyweight in the world headed into the bout.
Nelson, 38, falls to 1-3 in his last four fights.
Jury blasts through Gomi
Myles Jury (15-0) continues to make a name for himself at 155 pounds, as he knocked out Takanori Gomi at the 1:32 mark of the first round of their lightweight bout.
Following a brief feeling-out process, Jury landed a clean right hand to Gomi's jaw in the open cage and never let the Japanese legend recover. Gomi (35-10) didn't go out from the shot, but he fell to his back and went into pure cover-up mode. A few more punches from Jury was enough to stop the action.
"It was an honor to fight him," Jury said. "I was nervous out there for sure. I trained hard and of course was hoping for an outcome like that, but I also respect how experienced he is and know it could have been a long night.
"To come to Japan for the first time and have a win over a veteran like Gomi is amazing. It's a great stepping stone in my career."
Gomi, 35, has fought professionally since 1998. He has 13 knockout victories on his résumé, but this is his first time on the wrong side of one. He's been submitted six times in his career.
"He's a good fighter and he deserved that win tonight," Gomi said. "It's my 36th birthday in a few days and I'm going to relax and take some time to think about my future."
It's another big win for Jury, who seems to be collecting a lot of them of late. Fighting out of Alliance MMA in San Diego, the 25-year-old is 6-0 in the UFC, with name wins over Michael Johnson, Diego Sanchez and now Gomi. He has finished 12 of his 15 pro fights.
Akiyama returns successfully from layoff
Two years away from the Octagon appears to have done Yoshihiro Akiyama some good. A lot of good, actually.
In his first appearance since February 2012, Akiyama (14-5) looked terrific in a dominant unanimous decision over Amir Sadollah. Referee Wolf Menninger was nearly forced to stop the welterweight bout late in the third round, as Akiyama took Sadollah down and unloaded punches while standing over his foe's guard.
Despite not getting a finish, it was a near-perfect return for Akiyama. All three judges scored the bout a shutout, 30-27.
Fighting for just the second time at 170 pounds, Akiyama's conditioning for the fight was on point, as he outworked Sadollah (6-5) from start to finish. He scored an early outside trip in the center of the cage and scored points with ground-and-pound. Back on the feet later in the round, he landed a spinning back kick to the body.
"I was reassured that this [170] is where I belong," Akiyama said. "From the change of weight class, I think I made a good choice since it feels very fit to me."
Sadollah fought aggressively to open the second frame, targeting Akiyama's head with kicks. Akiyama hurt him early in the round with a right hand to the nose, however, and staggered him moments later with a jab. He was even more dominant in the third, picking Sadollah apart with the jab, before taking him down and nearly finishing the fight with punches.
The win is Akiyama's second in the UFC and first since his promotional debut at UFC 100 in July 2009. The 39-year-old welterweight snaps a run of four consecutive losses with the victory. Sadollah, who also had not fought since 2012, suffers his second loss in a row.
Tate survives Nakai
Former female bantamweight title contender Miesha Tate avoided a major upset by defeating Rin Nakai via unanimous decision.
Tate (15-5) earned her second win in the UFC, but did not always look comfortable in doing so. Despite stuffing the majority of Nakai's takedown attempts, Tate gave up her back in the second and third rounds and looked passive at times throughout the fight.
Fighting out of Las Vegas, Tate did out-strike Nakai by a wide margin -- landing 83 total strikes to Nakai's 37, according to Fightmetric. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Tate, via scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
Tate utilized her significant size advantage in the bout, landing straight right hands from a distance and controlling Nakai in the clinch. She really found her range late in the first round, hurting Nakai with right uppercuts and combinations on the outside.
Nakai (16-1-1) was relentless, though, constantly looking to close distance and shoot under Tate's punches. She jumped on Tate's back in a scramble in the second round, but eventually lost the position when Tate stood and shrugged her off. The same thing happened again in the third.
Tate improves to 2-2 in the UFC. She's won her last two, after dropping back-to-back fights to Cat Zingano and Ronda Rousey in 2013. Nakai, 27, suffers the first professional loss of her career.
