Mark Hunt opens up on his comeback before UFC 180

By Case Keefer (contact)

Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014 | 2 a.m.

For years, Mark Hunt avoided talking about the six-fight losing streak that stretched into the beginning of his UFC career.

Now the 40-year-old heavyweight from New Zealand can’t stop talking about it.

“A few years ago, you were probably laughing at me and saying, ‘Why are you still here? Why are you still fighting?’” Hunt said about fight fans in an interview last week. “You were thinking I was a joke. Well, I’m no joke. You’re the joke.”

Hunt (10-8-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) could complete one of the best comebacks in mixed martial arts history Saturday in Mexico City when he meets Fabricio Werdum (18-5-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) for the interim heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 180.

The former world champion kickboxer has gone 5-1 in the octagon since 2011 with a draw against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva that went down as one of the best fights in UFC history also mixed in. UFC President Dana White has repeatedly called Hunt’s rise to the top of the heavyweight division “one of the greatest stories in sports.”

White tried in vain to buy Hunt out of his contract when the UFC inherited it from PRIDE with the purchase of the rival promotion in 2007. Hunt insisted on the UFC giving him another chance despite an overall losing record, 5-6, in mixed martial arts that included first-round defeats in five straight fights.

Hunt used to decline any comment on the episode. Although he remains vague, Hunt has started to reflect on his mentality from the period heading into UFC 180.

“I still felt like I was the best fighter in the world and I just needed to keep working hard and doing it,” Hunt said. “I didn’t care what people said about me.”

The criticism reminded Hunt of battles he had overcome in his youth. A troubled child, Hunt wound up in jail twice for robbery.

He remembered people telling him he was nothing, a lost cause and how that made him feel.

“I just put good thoughts into my mind, and that’s why I’m still here,” Hunt said. “I’m not one of those guys who’s going to fall in a hole and stay down. I’m getting up every single time. Fighting is like life to me. Every time I get knocked down, I’m going to get back up.”

Hunt doesn’t give any of the typical reasons for his turnaround. There were no drastic training, nutrition or mindset changes preceding his renaissance.

The only difference, Hunt says, is that he found God. He began praying and let faith lead him back up the ladder in his profession.

“I have a great mentality for fighting and resilience, great heart and great willpower,” Hunt said. “There can be no other explanation for it except God.”

Hunt believes there are too many unexplainable coincidences throughout his 16-year career to think otherwise. He harkens all the way back to why he started fighting.

Hunt got into a fight outside of a bar where his future coach happened to work security and saw something in him. He’s made it a point to pounce on every opportunity that’s come his way ever since.

It’s part of the reason why he didn’t hesitate taking the UFC 180 assignment on less than four weeks’ notice after champion Cain Velasquez went down with an injury. The decision wasn’t without risks, as Hunt said he had been “lazy” before getting the call and weighed about 40 pounds over the 265-pound limit.

He got more messages of encouragement than he could possibly read, which prompted him to think back to the losing streak.

“When you win, people are congratulating you,” Hunt said. “When you lose, they’re kicking you in the face. I laugh at all of this stuff. I don’t care what people think about me. They can go live their own lives. I’ve won by just being here.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.