• UFC 160

Mark Hunt cleared for Dos Santos fight

ESPN staff
May 20, 2013

Mark Hunt will fight Junior Dos Santos in the UFC 160 co-main event after he was finally granted a visa to fly to the United States.

Hunt is scheduled to take on former heavyweight champion Dos Santos this weekend, but the bout was placed into doubt when he was stopped from leaving New Zealand for a flight to Las Vegas two weeks ago.

The UFC has worked hard to clear up the issue, which was partially linked to the fact Hunt had recently acquired a new passport. On Sunday, he tweeted to confirm he can now fly.

In a flurry of activity, the name of Roy Nelson had been floated as a late replacement for Hunt if he failed to gain his visa, although Nelson was never officially confirmed as the standby option.

Hunt will now fight Dos Santos just days after stepping off the plane, which is a far from ideal situation given the potential for jet lag.

UFC 160 is headlined by the heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Antonio Silva. Should Dos Santos beat Hunt, he is expected to be next in line for the title shot.

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