Following his clubbing win over Roy Nelson on Saturday in Japan, heavyweight knockout artist Mark Hunt said that he’d like to step back into the Octagon in seven weeks when the UFC brings an event to Sydney, Australia.
As an Australia-based New Zealander, the Nov. 8 show at the Sydney Super Dome (also known as Allphones Arena) is the closest the 40-year-old contender would come to fighting at home.
Though it makes for a great story, having Hunt return to action that quickly would be nearly impossible from a booking standpoint, unless the UFC handed him a cupcake matchup just to include him on the card.
With his win over Nelson, Hunt solidified his place in the Top 10 and could very well climb into the Top 5 in the heavyweight ranks. The only man ahead of him in the rankings at this point is Josh Barnett, and it’s highly unlikely that “The Warmaster” would be interested in facing the heavy-handed “Super Samoan” on relatively short notice on the other side of the world.
That likely means Hunt returns to the sidelines, where a possible matchup with fellow resurgent contender Andrei Arlovski continues to make the most sense. This was the pairing I suggested after “The Pit Bull” upset Antonio Silva a couple weeks ago and it is the matchup I’m sticking with now.
Arlovski’s return to relevance has run parallel to Hunt’s career comeback a few years ago, when he rebounded from a first-round submission loss to Sean McCorkle (crazy, right?) to win four straight and become a contender, minus the loss to “Big Sexy.” It has been completely unexpected and enjoyable to watch, but there comes a time where you have to find out just how far he can take things.
And now is that time.
Hunt is entrenched as a legitimate, nostalgia-free threat – he’s gutted out a couple tough bouts that didn’t fall in his favour and won plenty of others, so there should be little question about his bona fides.
Arlovski’s footing isn’t as firm yet, as his comeback win against Brendan Schaub was completely forgettable and a disputable decision at that. There is no challenging his knockout win over Silva in Brasilia, but one finish does not a contender make, not even in a shallow talent pool like the UFC heavyweight ranks.
Pair these two veteran stars together, close the Octagon door and see who emerges victorious. The winner becomes a potential title challenger and the loser remains a solid name in a division that always draws eyeballs and a couple impressive finishes away from contention.
Here are the matchups I would make for the rest of the UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson winners.
Myles Jury vs. Jorge Masvidal/James Krause winner
I wasn’t one of the people that became convinced of Jury’s status as a contender when he knocked out Takanori Gomi on Saturday – I was a believer several fights earlier. The Alliance MMA product is unbeaten and steadily improving, all of which was evident prior to him knocking out the Pride legend and breaking the hearts of fanboys everywhere.
But here’s the thing: lightweight is stacked and there is no reasons to rush the soon-to-be 26-year-old too far up the ladder while there are several fighters already queued up ahead of him in line for the title.
Instead, why not keep him in a holding pattern of tough fights that stand to showcase both competitors? A pairing with the winner of this week’s Masvidal/Krause contest is a Top-15 fight that can be slotted on the main card of any type of show and keeps two rising stars in the 155-pound ranks in the spotlight and moving forward.
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Nico Musoke/Alexander Yakovlev winner
Akiyama looked terrific against Amir Sadollah, but it was also his first win in the Octagon in five years. As much as a return to a regular schedule and a potential run up the welterweight ranks would be fun to watch, a more likely scenario is spot fights on shows in Japan and the Pacific Rim.
Pairing Akiyama with the winner of the Oct. 4 preliminary card fight between Musoke and Yakovlev gives him another competitive contest without racing him up the ladder too far, and if the event is on Fight Pass, it’s an easy main card addition.
Miesha Tate vs. Sara McMann
McMann took to Twitter to respectfully request a pairing with the former title challenger following her tepid decision win over Rin Nakai, and “Cupcake” said she’d be happy to oblige… so let’s make it happen.
Both have already lost to Ronda Rousey in the UFC, so there is no need to run them up the ladder too quickly. At the same time, they’re both legit talents that could halt the climb of a potential fresh challenger and that wouldn’t do anyone any good. This is the right fight to make.
Kiichi Kunimoto vs. Robert Whittaker/Clint Hester winner
Controversial or not, Kunimoto came away from his fight with Richard Walsh with a split-decision win, so I have to book him accordingly in this column. For the record, I scored the bout a draw, giving Walsh a 10-8 first and Kunimoto the second and third.
Pairing the Japanese veteran with the winner of the November bout between Whittaker and Hester is a solid matchup that can main card a future event in Australia or the Asian market without tying up anyone of great consequence in the welterweight ranks.
Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Scott Jorgensen/Wilson Reis winner
Horiguchi looked great in what was a showcase opportunity against Jon delos Reyes on Saturday and should get a stiffer challenge next time out.
As much as the rankings indicate the Jorgensen-Reis winner is behind Horiguchi, the reality is that both are the kind of veteran talents that the Japanese prospect needs to face at this point in his career. If he can get through an experienced fighter like either of these two, the Japanese prospect will be in line for bigger and better going forward.