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In the first meeting between the two, Netherland's Mousasi was a heavy favorite. He quickly showed why that was in the first round when he took down Hall almost immediately and then completely controlled The Ultimate Fighter finalist for almost the entirety of the round. After the bell in the first round, the momentum of the fight was completely in Mousasi’s favor. That all changed with one spinning back kick from Hall. The Jamaican-American spun with ferocious intent just 10 seconds into the second frame. Some say it was luck, while others call it timing, but whatever you call Hall’s spinning kick to Mousasi’s jaw, there’s no doubt it changed the course of the fight. Hall didn’t relent in his attack. He put Mousasi down with a flying knee and kept the strikes coming until the referee was forced to step in to call the fight. Hall became the first man to ever stop Mousasi in Mousasi’s 44-fight career.

That’s why this main event is so intriguing. Mousasi is the superior fighter in many aspects of the sport, but Hall’s explosive offensive techniques make his extremely dangerous given the opportunity to land. What goes agaisnt Hall in many of his setbacks is his fight IQ, along with some inconsistent game-planning. Hall has lost both of his bouts since the big upset over Mousasi in September 2015, including his most recent knockout defeat against the aforementioned Brunson.

Mousasi has put together an impressive string of wins since the first meeting with Hall. He had dominant performances against Thiago Santos and Vitor Belfort. Mousasi has hovered around the top of the sport for many years, but it seems like now he is putting it all together for the first time in his career. He’s combined his in-cage performances, which include five victories in his past six fights, with his personality to finally become a player at the top of the middleweight division.

UFC FIGHTNIGHT 99

Main fight only.