UFC: Mark Hunt knocked out at UFC 209

Mark Hunt could be at long odds to headline the scheduled UFC card in Auckland in June after he broke his leg during his loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 209 in Las Vegas.

The UFC has announced they will make a return to Vector Arena for their second show in New Zealand, following on from their debut on these shores in 2014.

Hunt would have been a popular choice to be in the main event in his hometown where he began fighting as a teenager.

The 42-year-old was knocked out by Overeem in the third round of their bout today and Hunt posted on social media after the fight that he suffered a fractured tibia.

"The old warhorse is still alive," he said. "I [will] be back," his post concluded.

Where he will be back and in what capacity remains to be seen.

Hunt, who made USD $750,000 for the bout with Overeem, remains caught in a legal battle with the UFC following his controversial no-contest with Brock Lesnar (5-3, 1 NC) at UFC 200 last year.

During the fight with Overeem - which was a rematch from their 2008 clash in the now-defunct Dream promotion in Japan where Overeem won via submission - Hunt suffered a nasty cut to his leg in the opening round.

It's unclear if that's where he broke his leg but it would be tricky to foresee him coming back to fighting shape by June 11.

Overeem, a fight sports veteran from Holland, used his much-improved footwork to pick Hunt apart, while his vicious knees in the clinch hurt Hunt (12-11-1, 1 NC) throughout the bout.

The scores were one round each on two of the judges' cards heading to the third frame but Overeem's fitness and volume of strikes eventually took their toll on the Super Samoan.

Overeem landed one huge knee and then connected with another, which finished the fight.

"This man is tough, I've fought him before," Overeem (42-15, 1 NC) said of Hunt in the cage after the fight.

"I'm actually a fan of Mark, I mean, he's shown tremendous skill throughout his career, he's won the K1 [kickboxing grand prix]."

Overeem, who was coming off a knockout loss to heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic (16-2) last year, bounced back in emphatic fashion.

"We work hard, we always work hard. We're not done yet, we're back up there."

Overeem even hinted that a performance like knocking Hunt out could push him towards another title shot.

"He's a tough guy, like I said; he's not been finished many times. I'm very proud about my crew. And all the coaches I've not mentioned, thank you guys, I love you guys. We're not done yet."

In the main event of UFC 209, Tyron Woodley (17-3-1) defended the welterweight world title with a majority decision victory over Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson (13-2-1).
The bout was a rematch from their thrilling majority draw at UFC 205 in New York last year but the second time out wasn't as entertaining.