Mark Hunt returns to the Octagon at UFC 221 in Perth on February 11. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Mark Hunt returns to the Octagon at UFC 221 in Perth on February 11. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Kiwi UFC star Mark Hunt has courted controversy, declaring UFC heavyweight freak Francis Ngannou was "molested and raped" by champion Stipe Miocic in January.
Speaking ahead of his highly anticipated return to the Octagon at UFC 221 in Perth on February 11, Hunt said he would love to use the defeated Cameroonian as a step-ladder to demand a dream title fight in his final contracted UFC fight at the end of 2018.
Hunt has his mind on stopping No. 9-ranked heavyweight Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event of next Sunday's Luke Rockhold-Yoel Romero battle in Perth, but has also looked ahead to a potential fight with Ngannou.
Stipe Miocic lands a right hand against Francis Ngannou during a heavyweight championship mixed martial arts bout at UFC 220. Photo / AP
After seeing the No. 1 contender get completely dominated by champion Miocic, Hunt likes the prospect of going toe-to-toe with the previously undefeated (in the UFC) star, who had been on a run of six straight stoppages.
Hunt knows all too well what Ngannou is feeling, having also been stopped by the American champion in their only fight in 2015.
"I felt for Ngannou," Hunt said on Friday.
"I know what it's like to be molested and raped by Stipe. Stipe just proved his mettle. He's a great champ. He's a worthy champ. It just goes to show you, you just can't come along. Stipe's been tested in the trenches for a long time now. Nagannou's a nice guy, he's just relatively new."
Miocic's perfect control of the fight against Ngannou has prompted the UFC to cook-up a superfight between Miocic and light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier — instead of looking for another title-contender from within the UFC heavyweight ranks.
Hunt says Miocic has earned the right to hold up the heavyweight division with his fight against Cormier at UFC 226 in June, because he has largely cleared out the heavyweight division.
Hunt fights Curtis Blaydes in Perth. Photo / Getty Images
"He's beaten everyone," Hunt said.
"He's fair to say, 'Well, who haven't I beaten'. I'd still like my re-match, sure. Adelaide still burns deep with me. It sucks."
However, he admits he will have to topple at least one more top-ranked contender before he is even considered for a potential title-shot against Miocic.
Hunt has repeatedly said he plans to move on from the UFC at the end of this year — after fulfilling the three-fights that remain on his existing contract with the UFC.
Ngannou's knockout streak scared off a number of opponents — but not Hunt.
"He asked me to fight when I met him in Vegas," Hunt said of Ngannou.
"That's the first thing he said to me. 'Hey, you. I fight you next'. I said, 'Sweet'. He's a really hard puncher, and my punching power isn't bad, so, if I can beat Curtis Blaydes, I would love to get down with Francis.
"Ngannou is new. That fight with Stipe was probably his first trench warfare fight. Did he get the key to win? No he didn't. But maybe the next time. He's only going to get better. He's only young."
Ngannou, the No 1 contender, was completely dominated by champion Miocic. Photo / AP
It comes as rising star Aussie heavyweight and former Sydney Roosters NRL player Tai Tuivasa also declared Ngannou's demise at the hands of Miocic was easy to predict.
The fighter known as "Bam Bam" after making a sensational UFC debut with a flying knee finish of Rashad Coulter in November, says it was obvious Ngannou was brutally unprepared to stop Miocic controlling the fight on the ground.
"I kind of knew that's how it was going to go," Tuivasa said ahead of his second UFC appearance against Cyril Asker in Perth on the Rockhold-Romero card.
"Francis had to knock him out in the first two and if that didn't happen, it looked like they were both pretty gassed. Obviously, Stipe, he's a machine, he chops the tree down bit by bit and eventually it falls.
"It didn't look like he (Ngannou) had done any wrestling. That's his bad. He didn't come with all his guns and he got shot."
Aussie heavyweight and former Sydney Roosters NRL player Tai Tuivasa, left. Photo / Getty Images
Tuivasa, who has prepared for his second UFC fight by joining Hunt in camp on the Gold Coast, says his training partner still has a case to demand a final title-shot against Miocic.
Hunt expects his own UFC career to finish this year.
His rollercoaster relationship with the UFC reached breaking point in 2017 after he initiated legal action against the fight promotion in January, 2017, for allowing Brock Lesnar to fight at UFC 200, despite testing positive for banned performance enhancing substances.
Hunt claims the UFC was aware of the test before the fight.
Hunt was also pulled off the UFC Fight Night Sydney event in November after reportedly failing the UFC's concussion standards. It came after Hunt suggested his being stood down was not related to a column he wrote for Player's Voice in which he said he sometimes slurs his words and sometimes doesn't remember things from a few years ago.
The Gold Coast based fighter from Sydney confirmed on Friday his legal dispute with the UFC is ongoing — and he doesn't expect his own career to progress beyond this year.
