Sonny Bill Williams has suffered a huge upset defeat being stopped by UFC legend Mark Hunt in the 48-year-old's final fighting bow.
Hunt made his return to the ring for the first time in almost two years this weekend when he touched gloves with rugby legend Williams in Sydney, Australia looking to cause a huge upset. And that is exactly what he did, with Hunt flooring his opponent with a huge right hand in the fourth round of their clash, which saw his opponent narrowly beat the 10 count.
However, the UFC legend was not paid by the hour and went on the hunt to bring a stop to the contest, which he did in explosive fashion with another huge right hand rocking Williams before the referee halted the clash. Hunt whipped the Sydney crowd into a chaotic frenzy with the seismic upset, which will be his final ever outing, as he plans to retire from combat sports.
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Williams paid tribute to his rival after the final bell, and said: "I would like to say it was an honour to share the ring with Mark Hunt tonight, the Super Samoan. I tried my best but it wasn't good enough. Not too many positives to take from that, but to share the ring with a legend like Mark, it was special. Also to see a lot of Polynesian brothers get a chance on the card was special. Whatever happens, happens."
Hunt was delighted with his display and confirmed that he would be hanging up his gloves after a lengthy career in MMA and the boxing ring. He added: "I'm smiling not because of the win, but I'm smiling because this is the last time I walked into a ring of combat of any sorts. My first thought after was 's*** I want to do that again!', but no [I won't be back in the ring again]."
The fight began with a huge round from both men, with Hunt keen to take centre ring and dictate the pace despite both men being uneasy on their feet as they returned to the corner after absorbing big shots. The fight continued at a breakneck pace, with Hunt showing his experience in the second as both fighters landed a flurry of powerful blows.
Williams showed some neat counter-punching in the third as he tried to respond to the aggression of the 'Super Samoan' but Hunt made his breakthrough in the fourth stanza. Hunt landed a huge right hand to send his opponent tumbling to the canvas before gingerly returning to his feet, but Williams was unable to recover and the referee brought a swift end to proceedings after another damaging barrage.
Hunt will no longer compete in combat sports following his departure from the UFC in 2018, and will go out on a happy final bow after picking up a shock win. Meanwhile, Williams will be forced to return to the drawing board if he is to return and have greater success in the boxing ring.
