Brock Lesnar ended his run in the UFC with two straight losses, the last coming against Alistair Overeem in December 2011. Four and a half years later, Lesnar returns to action at UFC 200 to take on Mark Hunt in a heavyweight battle.
Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt odds, UFC 200: Lesnar returns to Octagon as betting underdog
Brock Lesnar will return to the Octagon for the first time since 2011 as he takes on the favored Mark Hunt at UFC 200 in Las Vegas on Saturday.
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Lesnar is a +145 betting underdog in his return to the Octagon at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Mark Hunt is a -175 favorite in the fight that has been bumped up to Main Event after the shocking news of Jon Jones’ suspension came in late Wednesday night.
Just one year after making his professional MMA debut in 2007, Lesnar took the UFC by storm in 2008 when he defeated Randy Couture to win the UFC Heavyweight title.
Lesnar successfully defended his title twice with wins against Frank Mir and Shane Carwin, but a bout with diverticulitis slowed Lesnar’s career down and eventually forced him into retirement. Now 38 and with a clean bill of health, Lesnar hopes to make a splash in his return to the UFC.
Hunt will be going for a third straight win at UFC 200 and will try to spoil Lesnar’s return to MMA. The 42-year-old Hunt owns a 7-4-1 career record in the UFC, and six of those seven wins have come by knockout, including back-to-back first-round knockout wins over Frank Mir and Antonio Silva in his last two fights.
Each of Lesnar’s last two fights have ended in knockout losses, which is a trend that Hunt hopes to continue.
This fight isn’t likely to go the distance as 10 of Hunt’s 12 UFC fights have failed to do so as have all but one of Lesnar’s eight professional MMA bouts. Lesnar is the superior wrestler in this fight, and his path to an upset would include some successful takedowns and keeping the fight on the mat.
Hunt on the other hand will try to keep Lesnar at striking distance, and take advantage of his opponent’s rust with some heavy strikes. This unlikely UFC 200 main event provides an intriguing clash of styles and the potential for some fireworks.
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