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What's the story?
In a recent appearance on Submission Radio, veteran UFC Heavyweight and legendary striker Mark Hunt sounded off on his longtime rival Brock Lesnar.
Addressing the fact that Lesnar is all set to challenge Daniel Cormier for the latter's UFC Heavyweight Championship early next year, Hunt asserted his displeasure regarding the same. Besides, "Hunto" also spoke about his future plans--notably revealing what he intends to do after competing in the final couple of bouts on his current UFC contract.
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In case you didn't know...
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar returned to the UFC after a hiatus which lasted from late-2011 to take on Mark Hunt in a 3-round fight at UFC 200 in mid-2016.
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Lesnar ended up defeating Hunt by way of Unanimous Decision--however, the result of the matchup would later be overturned to a No-Contest owing to Lesnar testing positive for PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs) on two separate occasions in relation to his aforementioned fight.
One ought to note that after having gotten wind of Lesnar's steroid-test failure, Hunt subsequently filed a lawsuit against The Beast Incarnate, UFC President Dana White as well as the UFC as an organization.
The heart of the matter
Speaking to Submission Radio, Mark Hunt insinuated that although he understands the monetary aspect behind the UFC choosing to accord global box-office attraction Brock Lesnar a title shot at Daniel Cormier's UFC Heavyweight title, the matchup isn't based on merit.
Hunt continued that Lesnar wasn't a top-ranked fighter--adding that not only does his fight with Cormier not make sense from a ranking perspective, but also due to Lesnar having been proven a steroid cheat courtesy his aforementioned failed drug tests.
Furthermore, Hunt explained that following his upcoming fight against Aleksei Oleinik this September 15th, he'd like to have a quick turnaround and fight on the UFC Adelaide card in December. Hunt stated--
“It would be my last fight with the UFC. So, it’d be great. I don’t know about retiring per se--It’d be finishing from the big time. And, you know, I wanna fight three more times globally or four. We’ll see what happens for the division and chasing (the UFC Heavyweight title). That cut that dream off. So, you know, that’s how it works, but who knows?” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
What's next?
Mark Hunt is presently scheduled to fight Aleksei Oleinik at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia on September 15th--with the headlining matchup set to be a 5-round fight.
The vast majority of MMA pundits believe that Hunt is unlikely to re-sign with the UFC once his current contract expires.
On the other hand, former WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar faces Daniel Cormier for the latter's UFC Heavyweight title in a 5-round bout--with their highly-anticipated showdown possibly taking place in the first quarter of 2019.
On that note, Lesnar's WWE future remains uncertain, despite the professional wrestling rumour mill being abuzz with speculation regarding him potentially returning to continue his part-time schedule in WWE.
What are your thoughts on Mark Hunt's statements? Sound off in the comments
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