Mark Hunt has spent much of his career re-inventing himself. From world-class kickboxer and sideshow attraction to forgotten man and unlikely Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight contender, the no-nonsense New Zealand native has always been one of MMA’s true cult heroes. Hunt, 42, will return to the cage at UFC 209 on Saturday, when he tries to avenge one of 10 pro losses in a rematch with Alistair Overeem at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He last appeared at UFC 200 in July, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Brock Lesnar. Though the result was later changed to a no-contest after Lesnar failed a post-fight drug test, it nevertheless interrupted Hunt’s two-fight winning streak.
1. Iron Sharpens Iron
Hunt made his way to the MMA arena a little more than two years after winning the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix. It did not take him long to make waves under the Pride Fighting Championships banner. In just his third professional bout, Hunt was paired with Wanderlei Silva at Pride Shockwave 2004 on New Year’s Eve. Silva at the time was 18-0-1 with one no-contest in Pride, having cut a swathe through the 205-pound weight class with two wins over Quinton Jackson and three more against Kazushi Sakuraba. He had also beaten Hidehiko Yoshida, Dan Henderson and Guy Mezger. Hunt floored “The Axe Murderer” in the first round, forcing the Brazilian juggernaut to change gears and eye takedowns before 48,398 fans at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Silva executed seven of them by fight’s end, but Hunt had done enough damage on the feet -- he connected with 45 more significant strikes than Silva, according to FightMetric -- to warrant a split decision from the judges. It was Silva’s first defeat in nearly five years.
2. Dud of a Debut
Not all has gone according to plan for Hunt. “The Super Samoan” made his unexpected Ultimate Fighting Championship debut on Sept. 25, 2010: The promotion had offered to buy out the rest of his Pride Fighting Championships contract, but Hunt opted to compete instead. He was slotted opposite Sean McCorkle on the UFC 119 undercard at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. It lasted a little more than a minute, and the experience was utterly humiliating for Hunt. McCorkle struck for a takedown, set up shop in top position and calmly went about his business. He isolated Hunt’s limb and secured a straight armbar for the tapout 63 seconds into the first round. It was the sixth of six straight losses for Hunt, which made his subsequent run of success inside the Octagon all the more remarkable. No one, perhaps not even Hunt himself, could have foreseen it.
3. Bad to the Bone
Testaments to Hunt’s punching power abound. Case in point: Stefan Struve’s jaw. Hunt knocked out the towering Dutchman with a left hook in the third round their UFC on Fuel TV 8 co-main event on March 3, 2013 in Saitama, Japan. The bout unfolded as most expected: Hunt was in control on the feet, while Struve took command on the ground. “Skyscraper” mounted Hunt in the first and second rounds and tried to finish it on multiple occasions, unleashing his ground-and-pound and fishing for an armbar and a foot lock. Those efforts went unrewarded. Fatigue had zapped both men by the time they reached the third round. Hunt let his hands fly, drilling Struve with a series of heavy shots before sealing the deal with a clean left to the jaw. Referee Herb Dean moved in for a closer look at the still-conscious but dazed Struve and elected to call for the stoppage 1:44 into Round 3. Dean’s instincts were dead on. It was revealed afterward that Struve had suffered a broken jaw. He provided the visual evidence of the damage by releasing an X-ray that showed a clear vertical break stretching from the right side of his chin to his bottom teeth.
4. Finding Bigfoot
Hunt and Antonio Silva battled to the brink of total exhaustion, and the masses were entertained. In an exceptional five-round war that will never be forgotten, the two heavyweights fought to a majority draw in the UFC Fight Night 33 headliner on Dec. 7, 2013 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia. Judge Charlie Keech and his 48-47 scorecard sided with Hunt, while Barry Foley and Kon Papaioannou scored it 47-47. Neither Hunt nor Silva sounded disappointed with the outcome. After a slow start, two of the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division’s heaviest hitters went after one another with reckless abandon. They traded knockdowns, with “Bigfoot” flooring Hunt with a clubbing right hand in the first round and “The Super Samoan” returning the favor in the third. Back and forth they went, exchanging blows that might have ruined lesser men. Hunt almost finished it with heavy ground-and-pound in the third round, only to have Silva mount, punish and almost stop him a round later. Though they could barely stand, neither man gave an inch over the final five minutes. There, the 5-foot-10 Hunt opened a cut above the 6-foot-4 Silva’s eye with a standing elbow; “Bigfoot” responded late with accurate, thudding combinations. At the end of it all, they embraced, perhaps sensing the need to hold one another upright.
5. Walkoff Theatrics
The thunder in Hunt’s fists claimed another high-profile victim on March 20, 2016, as he wiped out former heavyweight champion Frank Mir with a crushing right hand in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 85 headliner at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia. Hunt took one look at his fallen adversary, gave a shake of the head and walked away, leaving referee Marc Goddard to do the rest. It ended 3:01 into Round 1. Mir tried and failed to steer clear of danger. Hunt set up the knockout punch with two flicking jabs and then sent the Las Vegas native to the canvas with a concussive shot behind the ear that would have cut down King Kong.