Heavyweight Mark Hunt’s impressive and improbable run in the UFC has made the 38-year old something of a cult hero among MMA heads. The “Super Samoan” has a rabid online fanbase willing to #RallyForMarkHunt at any time, so when news of Alistair Overeem’s withdrawal from UFC 160 broke yesterday, Hunt called on his people to help him get the spot opposite Junior dos Santos:
I want in troops and only the boss @danawhite can make it happen lets go army ATTACK the general wants in on this fight
— mark richard hunt (@markhunt1974) March 7, 2013
Only, according to a Thursday afternoon tweet from UFC president Dana White, Hunt turned down the UFC’s offer to fight dos Santos on Wednesday night:
@anakinskyboogie hey dummy Mark Hunt turned down the fight with JDS as of last night so STFU when u don't know what ur talkin about.
— Dana White (@danawhite) March 7, 2013
In subsequent replies, White said that Hunt “broke into the top 10” with his recent win over Stefan Struve and “will get a top 10 fight,” while denying that the UFC offered Hunt “a shit deal.” Hunt has yet to weigh in on the matter, presumably because he returned to Sydney this week and was asleep on the other side of the world as all of this was going down.