Mark Hunt's visa problems have been resolved, paving the way for the New Zealand heavyweight to enter the country for his Ultimate Fighting Championship 160 pay-per-view match against Junior Dos Santos, scheduled for this Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas.
"Thank u for my visa father," Hunt tweeted on Sunday, confirming he will be able to travel to the West Coast for his scheduled fight.
Hunt ran into trouble while attempting to leave his home country, due to undisclosed legal problems that he describes as "a stupid misunderstanding" over something that happened a while ago.
Hunt, a replacement for Alistair Overeem, who was originally scheduled to fight Dos Santos but pulled out the fight due to an injury, could be in line for a heavyweight title shot if he defeats JDS at UFC 160.
"It's crazy to say, but if [Hunt] knocks Junior Dos Santos out, how is this guy not next in line," said Dana White.
Roy "Big Country" Nelson was granted a fight license last week, by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, in the event that Hunt failed to fix his visa situation.
The last-minute rush to get his visa situation straightened out puts Hunt into a tough position, going into his fight against the former heavyweight titleholder, known to fans as JDS. Hunt, has complained, in the past, about the lingering effects of arriving too late for a scheduled fight.
"I'm running out of time to acclimatize," said Hunt, during Tuesday's UFC 160 media conference call. "I fought once in Vegas before. I went out four days before the fight and it was quite tiring. It was a bit of a problem."
The Hunt-Dos Santos match-up is the co-main event of UFC 160, with heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez, headlining the PPV, defending his title against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.
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