Mark Hunt will finally get his fight in Australia, although it’s not quite the one he wanted.
Hunt had been slated to headline UFC Fight Night 121 opposite Marcin Tybura in Sydney in November, but some public comments he made raised red flags about his health. The UFC decided to pull him from his fight. Fabricio Werdum stepped in to fill the void.
After getting cleared by doctors, the UFC reinstated Hunt, booking him for UFC 221 on Feb. 11, which will be the promotion’s first event in Perth, Western Australia.
Hunt (13-11-1, 1NC) had been angling for a rematch with former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, whom he lost to about three years ago, but that fight did not come to fruition.
Hunt will instead square off with Curtis Blaydes (9-1), a talented heavyweight that has quickly been rising up the ranks.
Though Blaydes lost to current No. 1 contender Francis Ngannou in his first trip to the Octagon, he has since reeled off four consecutive victories. A win over the likes of Hunt would catapult him into the division’s upper echelon.
UFC 221 is headlined by a middleweight title fight between champion Robert Whittaker and challenger Luke Rockhold. Whittaker had been the interim titleholder, but was elevated to undisputed champion after Georges St-Pierre vacated the title he took from Michael Bisping in November.
