Mark Hunt v Fabricio Werdum UFC 180: Chilled Hunt dances at face-off, reveals weight loss secrets

MARK Hunt is cutting a relaxed figure ahead of his shot at the UFC interim heavyweight title, dancing through a face-off with Fabricio Werdum.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - SEPTEMBER 03: (EDITORS NOTE: This image has been desaturated.) Mark Hunt poses during the UFC Fight Night media session at SKY TV Gym on September 3, 2014 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

MARK Hunt was midway through a press conference this morning when UFC 180 rival Fabricio Werdum entered, blasting Mexican music from a portable stereo.

Laughing, the Brazilian then put the music box right up against Hunt’s head - completely drowning out the Sydneysider.

Yet if it was a tactic to get somehow upset the 40-year-old heavyweight, it failed terribly.

Instead of getting annoyed, Hunt got to his feet - demanding the 100-odd journalists in the room “sway your arms from side to side... c’mon let’s go”.

Asked later about the incident, Hunt said: “If that’s his way of trying to get under my skin, he’ll have to do better.

“I’ve been fighting 24 years so for me, all the angry stuff happens inside the Octagon. You know, he brought the music so I was dancing.

“I think maybe he wanted a dance off. Who knows, perhaps we can do both.”

Mark Hunt is relaxed heading into his title shot at UFC 180.

Indeed, even during the face off - normally an intense affair, especially when belts are on the line - Hunt again started laughing, dancing and waving his hands in the air.

“And, yes, I want to punch his face off,’’ Hunt said. “But I realised a long time ago that this is mental war, that people are going to try to get you mentally and if you lose that battle, you’re done.”

Despite the enormity of UFC 180, both fighters appeared relaxed yesterday - with Werdum even accusing his rival, jokingly, of spying on him by the hotel pool

“No, he was spying on me, man,’’ Hunt laughed. “I’ve been in this hotel three weeks - they were in my pool.

“From my hotel room, I can see the pool. So I’m on social media and I see all these splashes down below. So I look out and there’s Fabricio smiling at me... so we said ‘hi’.”

Mark Hunt has had a string of sensational heavyweight fights, including his legendary clash with Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in Brisbane.

HUNT’S INCREDIBLE WEIGHT LOSS

STILL on Hunt, and the starving Campbelltown heavyweight arrived at this morning’s UFC press conference in a sweat.

“Just had some tea,’’ he grinned. “I’m basically functioning on that and air at the moment”.

With just over 24 hours until he finally hits the scales for UFC 180, Hunt has revealed he still remains within three kilos of the UFC heavyweight limit -- 120kg.

Given the Campbelltown brawler shed six kilos in his final 18 hours before fighting American Roy Nelson, a good sauna and limited food will see him hit the scales bang on come Friday.

In an expansive 40-minute interview with the press, Hunt also told how:

# He hasn’t eaten carbs in three weeks;

# Had asked UFC president Dana White to fight 10 kilos over the heavyweight limit;

# Had starved through harder cuts than this one; and

# Would consider keeping the weight off should he win and be guaranteed a fight with injured champion, Cain Velasquez.

Mark Hunt has lost an incredible amount of weight for his title shot.

Asked about his chat with White, shortly after agreeing to fight Brazilian Fabricio Werdum at the 11th hour, Hunt replied: “I tried to get a little buffer for my weight

“But it’s for an interim title so he said no. I agreed to the fight before even thinking about the challenges involved, I was too excited.

“It was only afterwards that I went ‘oh shit’.”

So as for exactly how lenient he wanted Dana to be with the kilos?

“I was looking for five or 10,’’ he grins.

Ten kilos?

“Yeah, Dana was laughing about that.”

Hunt also revealed he would consider keeping his weight down should he beat Werdum, knowing that a fight with Velasquez would be scheduled for some time in the New Year.

“I might have to stay on the wagon,’’ Hunt said. “If I take the title off Fabricio I could be fighting Cain next year so I’ll need to keep my weight down. Otherwise I could be doing this shit again.”

Asked if he had learned his lesson from this frenetic weight cut, Hunt laughed: “I should have learned this lesson years ago.

“But, hey, I make the mistakes man. Everyone makes them.”

# UFC 180: Hunt versus Werdum airs live this Sunday on Main Event from 2pm.

Originally published as Mark Hunt v Fabricio Werdum UFC 180: Chilled Hunt dances at face-off, reveals weight loss secrets