It’s official! Mark Hunt, after months of speculation, is indeed part of the main event at UFC Moscow.
Months after news of his involvement first surfaced, Mark Hunt is officially part of the UFC Moscow main event. On Thursday, the UFC unveiled what has pretty much been public knowledge since May: Hunt will face Aleksei Oleinik (Oleksiy Oliynyk) at the UFC’s debut in Russia this September.
Your #UFCMoscow main event!!@MarkHunt1974 vs. @OleynikUFC
🎟 https://t.co/mQtQoDr3Jg pic.twitter.com/ZTH9ceChqI
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) July 19, 2018
Hunt (13–12–1 (1)), at age 44, remains one of the UFC’s most popular, and powerful, heavyweights. ‘The Super Samoan’ is coming off a decision loss to Curtis Blaydes, but still has the potential to knock anyone in the division out. Prior to the loss to Blaydes, Hunt had done just that to Derrick Lewis, finishing ‘The Black Beast’ by TKO last June.
Hunt is currently embroiled in a lawsuit against the UFC, alleging they knowingly paired him up against a doping fighter in Brock Lesnar. Lesnar is also named in the suit, making the fact that he’s set for the next shot at the UFC’s heavyweight title an obvious sore spot for Hunt. Hunt lost to Lesnar at UFC 200 only for the result to be overturned to a No Contest when Lesnar failed his drug test.
As for ‘The Boa Constrictor,’ Oliynyk (56–11–1) is 5-2 in the UFC thus far, and is coming off a win against Junior Albini — his second Ezekiel choke in the promotion.
UFC Moscow, a.k.a. UFC Fight Night 136, takes place at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Moscow, Russia on September 15, 2018.
