Following his devastating knock-out of Roy Nelson on the weekend, Sydney based heavyweight Mark Hunt has moved into the top 5 on the UFC rankings.
Forty year-old Hunt overtakes Josh Barnett in the process as he closes in on a shot at the heavyweight title.
Hunt was on the The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani earlier in the week where he entertained the idea of facing Josh Barnett again. Barnett defeated Hunt back in 2006 while both were fighting under the Pride FC banner.
“I love rematches,” Hunt said. “I’ve never lost a rematch, Josh Barnett, me and you my friend, we’ve got a date.”
Since the win on the weekend, Hunt has shown interest in getting a match-up on the November 8 Sydney card, but on short notice, and with a lack of worthy available options, it’s becoming less and less likely.
The UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is currently scheduled to face number 1 ranked contender Fabricio Werdum, while former champion Junior Dos Santos, faces Travis Browne later in the year. Rounding off the fighters ahead of Hunt is number 4 ranked contender Stipe Miocic who faces Brendan Schaub in December.
Champion: Cain Velasquez
1) Fabricio Werdum
2) Junior Dos Santos
3) Travis Browne
4) Stipe Miocic
5) Mark Hunt
6) Josh Barnett
7) Andrei Arlovski
8) Antonio Silva
9) Roy Nelson
10) Ben Rothwell
11) Alistair Overeem
12) Gabriel Gonzaga
13) Frank Mir
14) Stefan Struve
15) Matt Mitrione
Full rankings over at UFC.com/rankings
