Sonnen didn't exactly say that this was going to happen, but in his commentary after the weigh-ins he referred to the rule in boxing that if a guy gets KO'ed, there's a good chance that he will be scared of that happening again in his next fight. This means that the fighter will likely be less offensive because he might be worried in his ability to take a punch, which will thus affect his defensive game as well. In other words, he might come in mentally unbalanced.
I think Chael is wrong here simply because we're talking Mark Hunt. Hunt occurs to me as one of the very mentally toughest fighters out there. He seems very calm and collected before, during and after every fight. He's been fighting since forever, and I don't think he gives a damn about getting KO'ed tbh - he's got so much experience. He knows what it's like to take a bomb, and to me he just seems like the type of guy who really loves to come and bang in every sense of the word, and he doesn't give a damn about his reputation. I think he will come in with his usual confidence and just get it on like he always does.
What do you think? Is Mark Hunt really that mentally tough, or will he be shaken from his last fight?
I think Chael is wrong here simply because we're talking Mark Hunt. Hunt occurs to me as one of the very mentally toughest fighters out there. He seems very calm and collected before, during and after every fight. He's been fighting since forever, and I don't think he gives a damn about getting KO'ed tbh - he's got so much experience. He knows what it's like to take a bomb, and to me he just seems like the type of guy who really loves to come and bang in every sense of the word, and he doesn't give a damn about his reputation. I think he will come in with his usual confidence and just get it on like he always does.
What do you think? Is Mark Hunt really that mentally tough, or will he be shaken from his last fight?