Manager: Mark Hunt medically cleared to return, eyes Fabricio Werdum rematch at UFC 221

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight slugger, Mark Hunt, could make his way back to mixed martial arts (MMA) at the upcoming UFC 221 pay-per-view (PPV) event in Perth, Australia, now that physicians have cleared the “Super Samoan” for return.

Hunt, 43, was benched by promotion president Dana White after penning an online blog that highlighted the New Zealander’s ongoing struggle with what appeared to be symptoms of the degenerative neurological disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

“You can hear me starting to stutter and slur my words,” Hunt wrote in the post. “My memory is not that good anymore.”

Not surprisingly, White yanked him from November’s UFC Sydney event until brain experts could give him the green light. Hunt originally resisted the decree, but later yielded so that he could get on with his combat sports career.

“We’ve just had a conference call with the doctors in the States, who gave us the good news,” manager Zen Ginnen told The Daily Telegraph. “The doctor said Mark scored well above average and that he’s good to compete. We’re just waiting on the UFC to clear him. We’d like to go up against Fabricio (Werdum) and hopefully be in line for a title shot at the back end of 2018.”

Hunt (13-11-1, 1 NC) was last seen smashing Derrick Lewis at the UFC Fight Night 110 event back in June. The “Super Samoan” has been eying a rematch against Werdum ever since the “filthy dog coward” stopped him at UFC 180 in late 2014.

Whether or not he gets that chance next February, remains to be seen.