Mark Hunt Promises To Knock Brock Lesnar Out If Fight Goes Past First Round

Mark Hunt sums up his fight against Brock Lesnar this Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 200 succinctly.

“If he can’t get me down in the first round, he’s getting knocked out,” Hunt said.

In 2009, when Lesnar was the UFC heavyweight champion and the most intimidating man in MMA, Hunt’s confidence would’ve seemed delusional. At that time, Hunt had not won a fight in years. The “Super Samoan” seemed all but washed up as he floundered in Japanese promotions.

A lot has changed since then. Hunt is now ranked eighth in the UFC’s heavyweight division after fighting his way back to relevance with KO victories over elite opposition. The “Super Samoan” has established himself as one of the most dangerous punchers in the sport and a legitimate title threat.

Lesnar, on the other hand, hasn’t fought since 2011, when he exited the UFC after a bout with illness and two defeats. Whether he will look like the dominant Lesnar of old is one of the big unknowns ahead of the July 9th fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Hunt, whose last fight was a first-round KO victory over former champion Frank Mir in March, gives a deadpan assessment of Lesnar’s decision to return to MMA.

“He can do pro wrestling and he can do fighting, I’m in shock,” Hunt said. “It doesn’t really matter to me in the end.”