The @RallyForMarkHunt Twitter account has gathered 135 followers. Not exactly a tidal wave, but then no other heavyweight on the UFC’s roster has quite captivated the fans’ imaginations as Mark Hunt has to replace Alistair Overeem and fight for the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Junior Dos Santos.
On the face of it, it would be a story straight out of Hollywood. The “Super Samoan” was one of the remaining Pride legends inherited by the UFC on a five-fight losing streak who instead of retiring on a guaranteed income chose to fight. An unlikely prospect, who at 38 has rebuilt his career while his contemporaries faded into retirement and after three back-to-back victories, Hunt is now staring down the biggest fight of his life.
Hunt would certainly pose a similar threat to Dos Santos as Overeem would have. His striking is at the elite level for MMA on par with anyone in the decision and it would be a fascinating test for Dos Santos’ claims to be the best striker in the Heavyweight division.
Dana White has already ruled out Frank Mir, the original favourite to replace Overeem, which also rules out Cain Velasquez.
The UFC could wait to for the winner of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, but Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier are set to decide that on May 19, only a week before UFC 146. So that rules them two out.
The next two fighters that could be possible title contenders, Shane Carwin or Antonio Minotauro Nogueira are both out with an injury.
This leaves Fabricio Werdum, as the next most credible challenger, whose return to the UFC in February was marked with an outstanding decision victory against Roy Nelson. He already has history with Do Santos and he would be keen to avenge the loss which saw him dropped by the UFC back in 2008.
Werdum’s striking, under the tutelage of Rafael Cordeiro, is much improved and it would be fascinating to see how he would square-up against Dos Santos a second time around.
Dos Santos is a BJJ brown belt under the Nogeuira brothers and a ground match between him and elite BJJ specialist Werdum would also be compelling.
Outside of him there is Pat Barry, another high-level striker coming off a victory. But he’s also had two losses before that and seems far from ready for a title shot.
Stefan Struve is another name that could be mentioned. He’s coming off impressive victories against Pat Barry and Dave Herman. However, Struve failed to get past the first round against Dos Santos back in 2009 and it’s not clear whether he’s done enough to earn a rematch.
Who do you think should replace Overeem and challenge Dos Santos for the title?
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