Party: UFC 180 - Werdum Vs Hunt
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Date: 16.11.2014 13:00
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1pm, Sunday November 16
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Mark Hunt will "drop everything" now he has an unexpected second chance to become the first Australian to wear a UFC title belt. Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was set to take on Fabricio Werdum in Mexico City on November 16 (AEST), but has succumbed to a knee injury.
The vacant spot fell to Hunt, a former K1 kickboxing champion now ranked number four in the world in the UFC competition. "I feel blessed to have this opportunity to fight for another world title," he said. "This is something that doesn't happen often to people. First K1 and now UFC – how can I say no, even though it's on short notice? "I'm dropping everything and flying to Mexico tomorrow so I can best prepare myself for this fight. I have to get into shape and acclimatize to that environment, which is really important." The 40-year-old, who has a 10-8-1 record in mixed martial arts, said he had nothing to lose when competing at the top level.
Born in New Zealand and nicknamed "the Super Samoan", Hunt now lives in Minto in Sydney's south-west. He broke a four-year drought in 2011 and gained momentum last month when he knocked out Roy "Big Country" Nelson in Japan. But his last shot at the heavyweight title left him on the floor when he suffered the second knock-out loss of his career, beaten by Junior dos Santos last May.
Werdum, a Brazilian ranked number one in the UFC heavyweight division, said a change of opponent would not change his preparations. "I'm ready for whatever comes," he said. "I have been training in Mexico for nearly two months and accept the challenge that is presented to me. I'll continue to prepare and will arrive ready to fight on behalf of all my Latin American fans." Hunt is not the first Australian to contest a UFC title bout. Elvis Sinosic took on Tito Ortiz for the world light heavyweight title in 2001 but suffered a first-round technical knock-out.
Invited: Georgina Romero, Isaac Wormington, Fran G. Panni
