Mark Hunt relocates camp to Mexico to deal with altitude
Mark Hunt remembers all too well what it was like to fight in Denver where the city sits at a mile above sea level.
The elevated altitude can suck the wind out of a fighter in a hurry and Hunt found that out the hard way during his three round decision win over Ben Rothwell at UFC 135 in 2011.
Heavyweights aren't always noted for having the best conditioning regardless of altitude, but Denver is routinely regarded as one of the toughest places in the world to fight because of the elevation.
When Hunt fights Fabricio Werdum in two weeks at UFC 180 in Mexico City, he'll be 2000 feet higher than he was in Denver.
So to acclimate to the elevation and climate, Hunt will relocate his entire camp to Mexico to finish off his training before facing Werdum on November 15.
"Because if this place is like Denver, then I will need as much time there as possible," Hunt told UFC Tonight's Ariel Helwani. "Fighting at altitude is not fun if you don't spend two months [preparing]."
Once Hunt arrives and the rest of his team joins him on Wednesday, they will stay there until the fight happens.
Hunt will join Werdum, who already moved to Mexico City for his entire training camp. He was originally preparing for Cain Velasquez, how is known as a non-stop fighter for 25 straight minutes.
Now he'll get an entirely different look taking on a knockout artist like Hunt.
While Werdum definitely has a leg up with a full training camp and months spent in Mexico City already, Hunt is going to do the best he can to play catch up before the two heavyweights battle for the interim title in November.
