UFC 200 is right around the corner, and the highly-anticipated return of former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar looms over the heads of mixed martial arts (MMA) fans worldwide.
Lesnar will step into the Octagon with Australian knockout artist Mark Hunt, in the main event of what has the potential to be the biggest card in UFC history.
Lesnar is known for his vicious wrestling ability while Hunt is known as one of the hardest hitting men the world has ever bared witness too, citing this bout as the old-fashioned ‘Wrestler vs Striker’ matchup we’ve come to know throughout the years.
Hunt recently spoke with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour this past Monday, courtesy of MMA Fighting, and claimed that he initially found out about the matchup the same way everyone else did:
“I heard about it the same time as everybody else did, pretty much,” Hunt said. “… I actually guessed it was probably Brock a long time ago. I guessed it was him, but I was just told to stay ready for UFC 200.
I didn’t realize it was Brock Lesnar until someone actually mentioned it, and I was like, oh wow. But I pretty much found out it was confirmed at the same time as everyone else did.”
‘The KFC King’ also stated that he believes Lesnar has been preparing for an MMA return longer than people are giving him credit for:
“I think [Lesnar] has been training a lot longer than people seem to presume he’s been training,” Hunt said. “He probably knew a long time ago about this match.
I’ve got a good couple weeks to get into it and then it’s fight week, so my guys are just coming into town now and looking forward to getting their work done.”
Since the announcement of the thunderous heavyweight clash many MMA analysts have critiqued Lesnar for ‘not liking to get hit’ in a sport where hitting and getting hit is the main objective.
While Hunt doesn’t really necessarily share an opinion on these criticisms, he did claim the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star better ‘get used to it’ because he’s not pulling any punches come July 9th:
“I don’t know, to be honest. I don’t know what the deal is with that. I mean, if you don’t like to be hit, you’re in the wrong sport,” Hunt said.
“He’s had four years off since his (last) fight, so I’m just looking forward to the match-up. It’s going to be a great fight and I’m not looking past Brock.
He’s going to be a tough fight. He’s probably been training for ages. But, I mean, getting hit in the face and everywhere, the body, is part of what we’re used to.
He should get used to it because I’m going to try to do a lot of that in the fight.”
Hunt openly criticized the the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) decision to pardon Lesnar from the four month testing period for retired fighters who re-join the UFC, however, Hunt admitted he believed the decision was for Lesnar to not be tested until after UFC 200, a belief that was later cleared up:
“He’s getting tested now, so I think that’s the main thing,” Hunt said. “In the end, I think everyone should be treated fairly. If you’re getting tested, everyone should be tested.
But like you probably said, he wasn’t part of us when USADA came. But I still think he should be tested. I mean, he’s probably being tested now, but I think everyone should have the same playing field.”
Lesnar and Hunt will take center stage in the co-main event of the evening come July 9th, and the ‘Super Samoan’ is hoping that his counterpart comes in like a ‘crazy man’ so he can send him crashing to the canvas for an early nap:
“I don’t know, to be honest,” Hunt said. “I mean, I’m hoping he comes in like a crazy man and then I put him to sleep. That’s basically what I hope is going to happen.
But I don’t think he’s that stupid. I think he’s going to be a bit smarter and test the waters first, but we’ll see what happens on the night.”
UFC 200 takes place live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 9, 2016.
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