Ranking Brock Lesnar's Potential Opponents For UFC 200

From a marketing standpoint, Brock Lesnar sells a fight on his own, so you don't need an opponent with tremendous name value to stand across the cage from him to stir up interest. However, Mark Hunt, while far from a superstar, does have a dedicated following of fans who appreciate his grit and no-nonsense fighting style which consists of the hammer-fisted New Zealander swinging to take off heads.

As Brock's previous losses to Cain Velasquez and Alstair Overeem have shown, he never quite managed to get used to the feeling of being hit. It's not that he was ever knocked unconscious, but any time his opponent would catch him with a few good shots it was like all his training would be lost on him and he'd revert to panic mode, which allowed them to capitalize and move in for the kill.

Hunt is someone whose strengths would present a clear threat to Lesnar, but conversely his weaknesses - poor takedown defense and lack of grappling/jiu-jitsu - give the wrestling powerhouse a distinct advantage. A fight between the two would be all about which man could impose his will on the other and I could really only see it ending one of two ways: Hunt by KO/TKO on the feet or Lesnar by ground and pound stoppage. It's an intriguing match-up to be sure.

As far as the likelihood of it happening, Hunt has repeatedly stated that he's been told to remain on standby in case either of the other two heavyweights on the main card, Cain Velasquez and Travis Browne, go down with an injury, so we already know he's in shape and ready to go for July. He's 2-2 in his last four and needs a few more big wins to propel him into title contention, especially considering his last loss was (literally) at the hands of current champ Stipe Miocic.

Mark Hunt has already been making vague hints that the fight may be his, but he could just be trolling the fans. All we know for sure is that an announcement is expected to be made Monday on ESPN, and I can hardly contain my excitement until then.

What about you WhatCulture readers? Who do you think will face Lesnar in his return to MMA? Let us know in the comments.