Mark Hunt to fight for UFC heavyweight title

It has been announced that Sydney-based UFC heavyweight, Mark Hunt, will be given the opportunity to contend for the interim UFC heavyweight title in November, facing the championship’s No.1 contender, Fabricio Werdum.

Currently ranked No.4 in the heavyweight standings, Hunt finds himself with a crack at the title after Werdum’s original opponent and current UFC heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez, was forced to forfeit his place in the bout.

The withdrawal was spurred by a right knee injury suffered during training, a situation Velasquez was clearly shattered to find himself in.

“I’m so unbelievably disappointed that this happened,” Velasquez said. “To say I was looking forward to fighting in Mexico for the first time is an understatement.

“I wanted to fight on that card so bad. Looks like it wasn’t meant to be and it’s not going to happen. I’m going to get my [right] knee fixed and get back to training as soon as I can. I’m sorry to the fans in Mexico who were expecting this fight, and I hope to be able to come down and still be a part of this historic event.”

For Werdum, it was never about Cain, it was only ever about the title.

“I’m ready for whatever comes. 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,” said Werdum.

Mark Hunt, never one to shy away from a big opportunity, wasted no time accepting a dream opportunity to fight for UFC gold.

“I feel blessed to have this opportunity to fight for another world title. 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 acclimatise to that environment, which is really important.

“There’s nothing to lose when you’re competing against the best at the top level,” Hunt added.

Hunt, who holds a 10-8-1 record in professional MMA fighting, will draw confidence from his recent walk-off knockout against Roy Nelson in Tokyo.

Werdum and Hunt will face off on November 15 in Mexico City in front of more than 20,000 fans.