Mark Hunt got some very good news this week.
After going through extensive medical testing in Las Vegas just recently, the former heavyweight title contender has been cleared to resume his career in the UFC.
Hunt’s manager first revealed the news earlier this week but now the UFC has made it official with a statement released on Thursday.
“After a full medical analysis at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, UFC confirms that heavyweight athlete Mark Hunt has been cleared to compete,” UFC officials said.
Hunt was sidelined indefinitely after he penned an article a few months back where he admitted to memory loss and slurred speech as a result of his fighting career.
“Sometimes I don’t sleep well. You can hear me starting to stutter and slur my words. My memory is not that good anymore,” Hunt wrote back in July. “I’ll forget something I did yesterday but I can remember the shit I did years and years ago. That’s just the price I’ve paid – the price of being a fighter.”
That led to the UFC yanking him from a fight scheduled in November against Marcin Tybura in Australia. Hunt lashed out and claimed the UFC was attacking him for filing a lawsuit against the promotion where he alleged that he was put into harm’s way for his bout against Brock Lesnar, who later tested positive for a banned substance.
UFC president Dana White denied those allegations and pointed out that Hunt had been booked in numerous fights since the lawsuit was filed and earned more than $1 million in salary during that time.
Eventually, Hunt flew to Las Vegas to get checked out by doctors to ensure he was medically fit to return to action and now he’s been cleared with hopes of fighting as early as February at UFC 221 in Australia.
Hunt’s manager had previously asked for a fight against former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum but there’s no word if the UFC will attempt to book that matchup or not.
