UFC FN 85: Mark Hunt Says he Has a “Lot of Submission Defense” Ready For Frank Mir
By FCF Staff
Heading into UFC Fight Night 85, the consensus is that if Frank Mir takes Mark Hunt to the ground, the latter’s going to be in some serious trouble. But, according to the feared slugger, he has the jiu-jitsu game to counter Mir’s vaunted submission skills.
The heavyweights are booked to fight on March 19th, in a bout that will headline the Brisbane, Australia card. Recently Hunt spoke to UFC.com, and while while discussing how he’ll do against Mir if the bout goes to the ground, the striker stated:
“Oh s**t,” Hunt said while laughing. “That’s what’s probably going through my mind, how did he get there to begin with. Prevention is always best, so I’ve gotta stop him from getting that position. But if he does, I’ll have a lot of submission defense for that.”
“Yeah I should’ve been a black belt in jiu-jitsu. I’ve been doing it for like 12, 13 years, and I’m a purple belt now. I didn’t chase the belts, but I was fighting top level guys from my first fights and I practiced a lot more submission defense. I didn’t chase any belts; I just had to learn submission defense.”
Hunt (11-10) is coming off a first round, stoppage win over Antonio Silva in November. Mir (18-10), meanwhile, lost via unanimous decision to Andrei Arlovski in September.