Mark Hunt Set To Make UFC Return

Mark Hunt is set to make a return to the Octagon.

The UFC announced on Wednesday morning that the MMA Veteran would be fighting Curtis Blaydes at UFC 221. Some thought that Hunt may never fight in the UFC again due to the drama surrounding him as of late.

Hunt was set to take on Marcin Tybura in the heavyweight main event of UFC Sydney (UFC Fight Night 121) on Sunday, November 19th, 2017 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

However, the promotion announced in October that “The Super Samoan” had been removed from that booking due to “medical concerns” and he was replaced by former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum.

The promotion was claiming at the time to be looking out for the best interest of the former title contender. The Daily Telegraph first reported last week that Hunt had been medically cleared.

Blaydes has surged up the ranks of the division after he suffered a TKO loss to Francis Ngannou in his promotional debut. Since that fight, he has won four straight including wins over Cody East, Adam Milstead, and Oleksiy Oliynyk

UFC 221 is set to take place on Saturday, February 10, 2018, at Perth Arena in Perth, Western Australia. The main card will air on pay-per-view while the preliminary card will air on FOX Sports 1 and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass.

Robert Whittaker defending the UFC  middleweight title against former champion Luke Rockhold will serve as the main event.

Although the promotion has yet to finalize the full fight card and bout order, here is the updated card:

Champ Robert Whittaker vs. Luke Rockhold – for middleweight title
Curtis Blaydes vs. Mark Hunt
Tyson Pedro vs. Saparbek Safarov
Jussier Formiga vs. Ben Nguyen