Mark Hunt is set to make his Octagon return at the UFC’s debut outing in Moscow, Russia. The “Super Samoan” will face Russian based Ukrainian Aleksei Oleinik after former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum was forced out of the main event due to a potential doping violation.
UFC officials announced the change on Thursday following a report from ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
Currently holding down No.8 in the UFC’s rankings, Hunt (13-12-1 MMA, 8-6-1 UFC) last fought at UFC 221 in Perth where the 44 year-old dropped a unanimous decision to Curtis Blaydes. Prior to the set back, the Sydney based fighter stopped Derrick Lewis in Auckland.
Submission specialist Oleinik (56-11-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC), meanwhile, is coming off a first-round Ezekiel choke submission against Junior Albini in May. The experienced 40 year-old, currently ranked No.11, holds additional UFC victories against Travis Browne, Viktor Pešta, Jared Rosholt and Anthony Hamilton with losses to Curtis Blaydes and Daniel Omielańczuk.
UFC Fight Night 136 takes place on September 15 at Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia. Additional fights announced for the event include Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Andrei Arlovski, C.B. Dollaway vs. Omari Akhmedov and Terrion Ware vs. Merab Dvalishvili.
Interview: Mark Hunt opens up on variety of topics ahead of UFC 221 clash with Curtis Blaydes
