Brock Lesnar will be making his return to the UFC on July 9 to face former heavyweight title contender Mark Hunt, who is currently ranked at number 8 in the UFC’s heavyweight division.
Most were shocked when they heard the news that Lesnar was going to be returning at UFC 200 to face Hunt, mostly because Hunt, who is a dangerous striker, is a nightmare of a match-up for the current WWE star. But according to Lesnar himself, the opponent didn’t really matter, as long as he could get back inside the Octagon and finish his MMA career on his terms.
Of course, Lesnar’s last MMA fight was in December of 2011, where he lost via TKO in the very first round to Alistair Overeem, who is currently the number one contender for the UFC Heavyweight Title. At the time, Lesnar was coming off his second bout with diverticulitis, and in the fight, he clearly wasn’t his old self.
Mark Hunt says UFC 200 opponent Brock Lesnar ‘probably should have stayed in retirement’ https://t.co/aCJojzSdeV
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) June 7, 2016
Mark Hunt commented on his upcoming fight with Brock Lesnar in an interview with MMA Junkie , and he seemed confident that the bout wouldn’t last very long, and he said that he was going to “knock Brock Lesnar’s lips off” at UFC 200.
“I think Brock is a real competitor. I have a lot of respect for him. He got the world title in what, three fights? That’s amazing. But this isn’t pro wrestling; this is real fighting. I was born in the trenches. My foundation is super strong, especially with all the wars I’ve been in. This is another one that’s probably not going to last very long. I’m knocking Brock Lesnar’s lips off at UFC 200.”
Hunt’s last two wins over Frank Mir and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva have come via knockout in the very first round, and Lesnar’s last two losses to Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem have come by way of TKO in round one.
During an interview with Paul Heyman on the Heyman Hustle , Lesnar said that he’s training for his fight at UFC 200 the same way he trained for all of his other fights, which means that he’s not joining an existing team, and he’s hiring his own coaches and training partners.
EXCLUSIVE Behind The Scenes of tonight’s interview w/ @BrockLesnar pic.twitter.com/3YiK86kAeQ
— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) June 6, 2016
Lesnar’s way of training has been criticized in the past, as there have been rumors that his training partners aren’t allowed to hit him in the face during sparring sessions, which probably explains why he’s never reacted well to getting hit.
https://youtu.be/SH_pBkO1JrU?t=334
With Hunt probably being the most dangerous and powerful striker in the UFC’s heavyweight division, there’s a good chance that Lesnar will be hit in the face hard, and more than once. So, it’ll be interesting to see if the former WWE and UFC Heavyweight Champ can actually deal with a dangerous striker in his comeback fight.
There has been some talk that Lesnar may end up getting a UFC Heavyweight Title opportunity if he gets past Mark Hunt on July 9. As previously mentioned, Alistair Overeem is getting a shot at the heavyweight title in September, and that’s a rematch that Lesnar has wanted for quite a while now. So, if both Overeem and Lesnar win their respective fights, then we may see “The Beast” get another crack at the heavyweight championship.
If Lesnar loses, then it’s likely that his mixed martial arts career will end at UFC 200. Of course, there’s a chance that it’ll end even if he wins, but it’s more likely that he’ll never want to come back if he loses, especially if the loss comes by way of knockout in the very first round.
[Images via Bradley Kanaris / Getty Images , Eric Jamison / AP Images ]