It looks as if Derrick Lewis may have got his wish. The Black Beast was last seen finishing Travis Browne in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 105 main event in Halifax this past February. Afterward, the dangerous heavyweight suggested Mark Hunt would be a great opponent for his next bout. At the time, Hunt was heading into a UFC 209 clash with Alistair Overeem, which saw him finished in the first round.
Now, sources have told MMAJunkie that Hunt vs. Lewis may in fact happen – as the main event of the upcoming UFC Fight Night 110 in New Zealand this May. The bout has not been officially signed, and Hunt remains on medial suspension following a leg injury sustained in his losing effort against Overeem.
That said, the fight would be an exciting clash between two popular heavy hitters in the UFC heavyweight division. Lewis (18-4, 1NC) has won five straight, finishing all but Roy Nelson during that span. He’s currently ranked 6th in the weight class, just one spot ahead of Hunt.
Hunt (12-11-1, 1NC), however, is on a decidedly different career trajectory. He suffered a decision loss to Brock Lesnar at UFC 200 that was later switched to a No Contest when Lesnar failed a pair of drug screenings. He then sat out for several months, and launched a lawsuit against the UFC and Lesnar, alleging a conspiracy to allow dirty fighters to compete. He then suffered a knockout against Overeem in his return to action earlier this month. Prior to those setbacks, however, Hunt had racked up wins over Antonio Silva and Frank Mir.
However, at age 42, it’s likely that Hunt is fast approaching the end of his career. It’s probably with that in mind that the UFC is eyeing this pairing, as Lewis could break through as a legitimate contender with another big name win.
UFC Fight Night 110 goes down Sunday, June 11 (June 10 stateside with the time difference) at Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.
