Mark Hunt: You Can’t Play Mind Games With Me

Old school MMA legend Mark Hunt will return to action tonight (Saturday May 9th, 2015) as he headlines UFC Fight Night 65 in Adelaide, Australia. He faces Stipe Miocic in the main event, fighting on home turf as he hopes to bounce back from a UFC 180 interim title loss to Fabricio Werdum.

“The Super Samoan” is known for classic fights against Stefan Struve, Junior Dos Santos and knockouts over Cheick Kongo, Roy Nelson and Chris Tuchscherer to name a few. Now aged 42, Hunt tells FOX Sports that he has been in the game too long to be intimidated by his foes:

“You can’t intimidate me or play mind games with me. I have all the experience in the world, It takes longer to recover from workouts. So, it becomes about working smarter. You’ve just got to train smarter to make sure you get in the Octagon happy as you can be and healthy as you can be.””

Many expected “The Super Samoan” to retire after his time in Pride FC, and then even more so when he lost his UFC debut. He became somewhat of a feel good story when paired with Junior Dos Santos in a title contender match, and then when he received a short notice interim title shot with ‘Vai Cavalo’.

With a lot on the line in terms of his fighting career at Fight Night 65, Mark Hunt is honored to be fighting on home turf:

“I’m a New Zealander but Australia is my home. I’ve lived here for 20 years. It has given me all the opportunities that I’ve gotten. It has given me all these beautiful things – my wife, my children, my home. I’m proud to represent Australia in the Octagon. I’ve had all my opportunities come from this country and I’m blessed to be headlining a card here, I’m honored.’

So Mark Hunt has the chance to once again upset the odds and cement his name in MMA history as one of the biggest underdogs to ever compete in the sport. Will he be able to overcome the technical and rangy striking of Stipe Miocic?

Stick with LowKickMMA for more coverage and stories surrounding UFC Fight Night 65!