Mark Hunt: By The Numbers

Chase RuttigFeb 09, 2018


A K-1 World Grand Prix winner who has made stops in Pride Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Mark Hunt has earned respect across the globe. He has endured his shares of ups and downs throughout his career, as evidenced by his 13-11-1 record. However, his resilience and toughness have allowed him to bounce back from adversity and overcome difficult losses to post notable victories against Frank Mir, Antonio Silva, Derrick Lewis and others.

Before Hunt steps into the Octagon opposite Curtis Blaydes in the UFC 221 co-main event on Saturday in Perth, Australia, here are some of the numbers that have come to define him:

3: Decision wins to his credit. A powerful puncher built for quick, decisive knockouts, it should come as no surprise that Hunt has rarely looked to the judges for assistance. He has gone the distance in victory against only Mirko Filipovic and Wanderlei Silva, by split decision in Pride, and Ben Rothwell, by unanimous verdict at UFC 135.

6: Consecutive defeats between July 1, 2006 and Sept. 25, 2010. At the tail end of his run in Pride and prior to his discovering the fountain of youth in the UFC, Hunt suffered through a long losing streak. Josh Barnett, Fedor Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem, Melvin Manhoef, Gegard Mousasi and Sean McCorkle were the beneficiaries, and all finished the “Super Samoan” in the first round. Not until Hunt bounced back with a knockout of Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 127 on Feb. 27, 2011 did he turn around his fortunes.

1: Draw on his resume. At UFC Fight Night 33 on Dec. 7, 2013, Hunt and “Bigfoot” Silva engaged in a memorable five-round war that ended in a majority draw on the scorecards. Hunt went on to rematch the Brazilian two years later, stopping him with punches in the second round.

0: Submission victories under his belt. The 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix winner has relied on his kickboxing skills and takedown defense to carry him in MMA. According to FightMetric data, Hunt has attempted four submissions since his June 2004 debut. None were successful.

4: First-round finishes authored. Hunt’s knockout power has led to quick stoppages against Mir, “Bigfoot,” Cheick Kongo and Dan Bobish.

8: Knockdowns recorded in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Hunt is tied for sixth among heavyweights on the promotion’s all-time list, trailing only Junior dos Santos (12), Andrei Arlovski (10), Cain Velasquez (10), Matt Mitrione (nine) and Roy Nelson (nine).

43: Years of age. Hunt was born on March 23, 1974 in South Auckland, New Zealand.

682: Total strikes landed in UFC competition. Hunt ranks eighth all-time among heavyweights in the category. Randy Couture is next on the list with 767.