Mark Hunt, better known by his title of ‘The Super Samoan’, is not one to be messed with in the octagon. Hunt is a New Zealand mixed martial artist and former kickboxer, having a kickboxing record of 30 wins and a current mixed martial arts record of over 10 wins. The majority of his MMA career wins have been the direct result of a knockout or total knockout, including a knockout victory over Roy Nelson who is cited as having one of the most durable chins in all of combat sports. During the start of his career, Hunt was used by promoters as a stepping stone for up-and-coming fights, taking challenges at short notice. This went on until the K-1 Oceania tournament was promoted in February 2000, where Hunt went from heavy underdog to winning the title by knocking out “The Coconut Crusher” Aumitagi in quarter finals, Rony Sefo in semis and Phil Fagan in the finals. He has gone on to have a successful kickboxing career, winning multiple titles.
Hunt’s MMA career is similarly exemplary, with him continuing to compete in and win multiple fights. In the UFC, he managed to defeat a number of fighters via KO or TKO, including Chris Tuchscerer, Cheick Kongo, and Stefan Struve. In the PRIDE Fighting Championship, he defeated Japanese boxer Yosuke Nishijima in a devastating one-two punch as well as taking down Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, who he defeated by TKO.
Hunt is currently scheduled to face Paul Gallen in a six-round heavyweight boxing match on December 16, 2020.
