UFC: Chance for Hunt to prove himself

Mark Hunt had to shed 20kg in three weeks before his interim title fight. Photo / Doug Sherring

But one of best fighters in UFC heavyweight division stands in the veteran’s way.

Mark Hunt readily tells people he is the best fighter on the planet and the time has come to prove it.

The Kiwi has never done anything in the conventional manner during his lengthy combat sport career and the build-up to his interim UFC heavyweight title bout with Fabricio Werdum at UFC 180 in Mexico City tomorrow (NZT) is no exception.

After champion Cain Velasquez was unable to defend his title against the No 1 contender Werdum, Hunt was offered the chance to fight for the interim belt with only three weeks notice.

Overweight and thinking about who he would meet next year, Hunt finished taking his kids to school in Sydney and was on a plane to Mexico two days later.

"I've always believed I was the best fighter on the planet," Hunt told the Herald after he agreed to meet Werdum.

Following his knockout victory over Roy Nelson in September, Hunt (10-8-1) has had only 17 training days to prepare for Werdum (18-5-1).

The 40-year-old Hunt was on track to make weight today, which meant he would have shed around 20kg in three weeks; an impressive feat in itself.

Much of the credit must go to fitness trainer Alex Flint. While a strict diet has allowed the kilograms to melt off the Super Samoan, the altitude of Mexico City, which sits 2250m above sea level, is also punishing.

Tomorrow's fight is part recognition of Hunt's No 4 ranking in the UFC's heavyweight division, part circumstance due to the unavailability of other fighters and part good luck.

But he has never turned down a fight in his career and this is just the type of opportunity he thrives on.

"Mark's got a rock-solid mindset," Hunt's long-time trainer Steve Oliver said. "He's got a self-belief that's to his detriment at times but it's who he is and it's got him to where he is."

And that's the chance to strap an interim UFC title around his waist, which would also guarantee a big-money clash with Velasquez (13-1) when the champion, who hasn't fought in more than a year, returns to full fitness.

Standing in Hunt's way is arguably the most well-rounded fighter in the division in Werdum who has won his past four bouts since returning to the UFC following a string of fights in other promotions.

The 37-year-old Brazilian has only lost once in the past six years and has added an impressive striking arsenal to his elite jiu-jitsu skills.

It's likely that Werdum will want to drag the fight to the mat but Hunt has one of the best takedown defence percentages of any UFC heavyweight. His preference will be to stand and trade with Werdum so he can unleash his unrivalled striking skills.

A loss would leave Hunt in a funny position within the UFC and reaffirm the belief of many pundits that he doesn't have the all-round game to hang with the top heavyweights.

After this weekend he will have four fights left on his contract - which is rumoured to be his last - but given his popularity and crowd-pleasing style, he will likely remain a headline fighter.

His hopes of fighting for the title will all but disappear if he lost.
Daniel Richardson travelled to Mexico courtesy of Sky Arena and the UFC