Warhorse Hunt staying focused on job at hand
MARK Hunt ticks one of the few boxes remaining in his illustrious combat sports career in Auckland today.
But as he makes his mixed martial arts debut on home soil at UFC Fight Night, the prevailing question hovering around the 43-year-old Kiwi warhorse is just how long he can keep going.
Hunt insisted he was not thinking about retirement this week but by the same token would be at peace if his heavyweight showdown against American Derrick Lewis was the last time he stepped foot inside the octagon.
The former K-1 world champion, who has been in the fight game for more than 20 years, still has four bouts remaining on his current UFC contract, including today.
But, after a crushing defeat to Alistair Overeem in March and without a win in over a year, one thing is for sure – victory is paramount if he is to stay relevant in the division.
‘‘I want to win. I’ve lost the last few fights because the guys were cheating,’’ said Hunt, whose last four opponents have all tested positive to doping at some stage of their careers.
‘‘To be relevant in this division and to stay in contention I’ve got to beat Derrick Lewis so that’s all that matters to me.’’
Hunt has an even bigger fight outside the cage with his lawsuit against the UFC, president Dana White and former opponent Brock Lesnar after the latter failed multiple drug tests ahead of their bout last July.
It has not overshadowed today’s event but his frustration was evident whenever the subject was raised and it’s not hard to see why.
Besides the obvious dangers of fighting someone who was, as Hunt so aptly put it last year, ‘‘juiced to the gills’’, following back-to-back first round victories over Antonio Silva and Frank Mir, the loss to Lesnar – later overturned to a no-contest – took the wind of his sails just as he seemed poised to push for a title shot. PHOTOSPORT
With six consecutive wins, Lewis is the hottest heavyweight in the division and UFC commentator Brian Stann says victory over ‘The Black Beast’ offers Hunt the quickest way back into title contention.
‘‘If Mark Hunt goes out there and knocks [Lewis] out, which he’s very capable of doing, Mark is back in the elite of this weight division.’’
Like Hunt, Lewis (18-4, 1NC) has earned plenty of admirers with his aggressive, heavyhanded style and it is hard to think of a more entertaining match-up in the UFC.
The American holds a 13cm height advantage and is 11 years younger than Hunt, but the Kiwi is the more technical striker and that is where he feels he has the edge.
‘‘I feel I’m more skilled than he is but we’ll see,’’ Hunt said. ‘‘I’ve got to feel that I’m better than him at everything. Someone’s going to step back, it just depends on who gets caught first. It’s always a matter of time.’’ UFC defends doping policy - p24-25