UFC NEWS – Kongo vs. Hunt Rumored To Be In The Works For UFC 144 In Japan
Last week Cheick Kongo was rumored to have been offered a bout with Roy Nelson. However once Roy Nelson confirmed the bout himself via twitter the UFC quickly shot the possibility down and said they had other plans for Kongo.
Now, the rumor floating around is that Kongo will now face fellow striker Mark Hunt at UFC 144 in Japan. After going two-years without a loss, Kongo was hoping for a rematch with Velasquez or at least a contender in the heavyweight division, however, if this rumor holds true than he has apparently not gotten what he has wished for and instead is taking a step backwards in competition.
“UFC 144: Japan”, while not yet made official by the promotion, is expected to go down on February 26 live from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. As of current date, the event is expected to be headlined by a lightweight title fight between champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Benson Henderson.
Kongo has not tasted defeat since 2009 and is riding high on a five fight unbeaten streak. Having most recently fought and beaten Matt Mitrione at UFC 137, he is looking to fight whoever will get him back in contention for the UFC’s heavyweight title.
If rumor holds true, Kongo’s next foe will be Mark Hunt. Since losing his UFC debut to Sean McCorkle via decision, Hunt has been able to bounce back from defeat and string to consecutive wins together. He last saw action at UFC 135 this past September where he was able to outpoint Ben Rothwell in route to a decision victory.
If this bout gets confirmed as official we will update this report, however for now I am keeping it in rumor status due to the nature of the supposed booking.
*Click here for the latest UFC 144 coverage provided by BJPENN.COM
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Cain said he would fight Kongo in the post fight press and Kongo said he wants to fight Cain i don’t see where all of this is coming from. plus they both seem to be in the same place in the div and i bet the fan would love to see the rematch so……
Cain vs Kongo does make a lot more sense. I’m a huge fan of Hunt but I wouldn’t say hes up there in terms of rank in the HW division yet. Hunt vs Travis Browne was rumored to take place wasn;t it? And that fight makes more sense than Hunt vs Kongo.
I’d like to c that rematch too. A good time, with Kongo on a streak, n Cain lookin to bounce back. But logistically, this may not happen. Kongo is on d road to a ‘tittle’ shot. If he were to lose, that trip is cut short. And if Caine won, it wudnt put him back in title contention. Leaving no one to face d champ of d Dos Santos vs Lesnar/Overeem. Kongo is the only legit guy to date to get that spot. Everyone else either hasn’t paid their dues, or r still climbing back up d ranks.
I want Rampage VS King Mo in Japan.
I’d like to see that!
Hunts going to 6-15 hahaha
mark hunt is no slouch, but pretty random matchup. doesn’t do anything for either fighter with a win.
kongo dosent deserve a fight against cain after his win it was so ****ing boring. we all know kongo is not good enough to play with the big boys of the division. mark hunt will most likly take his head offf or lose a UD
Cain vs Country
that would be sickk unfortunately i read somewhere that its most likely rampage v bonnar.
That sucks! I really don’t think Bonnar is in the same class as Rampage. Rampage has some unfinished business before he retires from MMA.
really? that’d be fun too though; Bonnars got scraps.
Yeah in an interview after 139, Bonnar told reporters that he’d like to fight Rampage. I think it’d be a great fight!
Cool, I love Hunt, but he’s not entirely cutout for MMA. If he can tag Kongo it’s lights out. But Congo is going to be looking for that & in return will have a lot more in the arsenal to counter. Sux cuz I’m a Hunt fan, but I don’t think he’ll be able to pull it off.
What’s wrong with you!? GRT you aren’t trolling! I’m willing to form a truce.
lol, ok truce.
Im comparing this match up with Kongo vs Pat Barry. Barry is very similar to Hunt. Both with great kickboxing and huge knockout power. Barry most likely has better cardio though. I reckon if Barry was able to do what he did to Kongo (even though he got KO’ed straight after), then I would almost expect Hunt to do the same. Only NOT get knocked out afterwards.
If he manages to tag him in the early rounds 4 sure. But if Kongo and his corner have any kind of a strategy, they will be looking for that. He can take em’ deep where Hunt has problems and then win by decision or even KO; Kongo has some power too. But again, I’m a Hunt fun and I hope he pulls it off.
I really wanted to see Kongo vs Brown.