(The best way to stop Cheick Kongo from kneeing you in the jewels? Turns out, it’s a simple jab. Who woulda thunk it?)
As is the case for approximately 95% of the UFC’s current roster, Mark Hunt was forced to pull out of his last scheduled fight (against Stefan Struve) due to injury. But while he’s been quietly recuperating his knee and enjoying his current, not to mention improbable 3 fight win streak in the UFC, he’s apparently also been thinking about leveling the score with some of his former foes. Mainly, that of Alistair Overeem, who defeated Hunt by first round keylock when the two clashed back in June of 2008 at DREAM 5. It was Hunt’s third straight loss to come via form of arm-lock, but it certainly wouldn’t be his most painful.
In either case, it appears that Hunt may have heard through the grapevine that Alistair stated he would prefer to fight as soon as he got his license back, title shot or not, and figured he could kill two birds with one stone. Those two birds being a bit of redemption and possibly the next heavyweight title shot. He told The MMA Hour:
If they’d like to get me a fight I’d like to get a rematch with Alistair Overeem, you know, when he comes back from his injury or from whatever, his hiatus. You know? I’d like to have my rematch with him. I’d be willing to fight next year so it doesn’t matter. If he gets a title shot, that’s good on him.
We hate to sound like a bunch of little schoolgirls but OMG JOE SILVA BOOK THIS FIGHT WE’LL LUV U 4EVER PLZZ!!
It may have only taken Overeem a little over a minute to dispatch Hunt the first time they met, and you have to wonder whether or not Overeem would follow a very similar gameplan were these two to fight again, but if there’s even a chance that we can see two PRIDE legends slug it out for the right to the next heavyweight title shot, then we’re all for it. Obviously, the UFC is eyeing Overeem as the next title contender, but on the off chance — and by “off chance,” I mean “with 100% certainty” — that either Junior dos Santos or Cain Velasquez are injured in their upcoming rematch at UFC 155, pitting Overeem against Hunt is basically a win-win. For hardcore fans at least.
On one hand, if Overeem is able to easily dispatch Hunt again, he will at the minimum be given a fight to shake off any ring rust he might have acquired in his time off and cement his status as the #1 contender, whatever that means these days. On the other, if Hunt is able to emerge victorious, it would set up one of the most inconceivable career comeback stories in MMA history. If the UFC couldn’t make some money off of that — which, let’s be honest, is the only thing they’re interested in when it comes to title shots — they should fire their marketing department immediately and hire this guy.
Since Overeem was popped for steroids and cost us one of the greatest fights of 2012, he might as well make it up to both the fans and the UFC in 2013 by accepting this rematch. I know that line of logic doesn’t make any sense, BUT I WANNA SEE THIS FIGHT GOD DAMN IT.
Anyone else drinking my kool-aid?