With Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt adding some superstar flavor that was previously lacking, the hype for UFC 200 is starting to get seriously underway. And with that comes an extended preview from the UFC showcasing all the fights on the July card: Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones for the undisputed light heavyweight title, Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes for the women’s bantamweight title, and Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar for the interim featherweight belt. And of course, the aforementioned Lesnar vs. Hunt scrap.
The preview gives us a good recap of Lesnar’s last rise through the UFC and the struggles he faced due to diverticulitis, an issue where the walls of the intestine weaken, tear, and leak bacteria into your system. Lesnar’s accomplishments in the cage were already impressive just off the fact that he came into the UFC with barely any mixed martial arts fights under his belt. To then learn that he was also suffering the effects of this disease make his run even crazier.
“If I couldn’t be healthy and recover the way I needed to, I couldn’t be the guy I needed to be in the Octagon,” Lesnar said. “It’s been something that’s haunted me since leaving. I wanna get back and reclaim my loss to my illness, and just have fun.”
As for whether we can expect any WWE theatrics, it doesn’t sound like it.
“I don’t have to sit here and name call or do anything or tell [Mark Hunt] how I’m going to beat him, or this, that, and the other thing. I’m not here to build a fight. I’m just excited to get in there, and may the best man win.”
Brock Lesnar at 100 percent health is something of an unknown quantity in the UFC. But Mark Hunt has the kind of confidence you only get from a 15+ year career knocking people unconscious.
“I don’t ‘have’ to knock Brock out,” Hunt said. “That just happens. That’s just the way it is when fighting me.”
It’s an excellent match up that will answer many questions: is there another level to Brock Lesnar’s ferocity that we never saw because of his illness? Can he withstand a punch from a heavy hitter like Mark Hunt? And if Lesnar defeats Hunt, can he really hang the gloves back up and walk away? Or will his drive for competition keep him returning to the Octagon?
UFC 200 goes down Saturday July 9. It’s a stacked card you definitely don’t want to miss.
