Record: 11-3
Age: 29
Weight class: Welterweight
Height: 6’2″
Birthplace: South Africa
Next Fight: Friday vs. Zackery Powell (6-1) at Unified MMA 55 in Toronto (UFC Fight Pass)
Background: Mark Hulme’s road toward a UFC opportunity has been far from run-of-the-mill. A rough-and-tough kid growing up, Hulme struggled to like and succeed in school. He discovered the UFC and immediately felt he’d found a direction – but his father made him finish school before he permitted him to pursue professional fighting. He found success during his amateur career early on, and eventually turned professional. Rather than pursue the UFC right away through the regional scene, Hulme pivoted toward promotions like ACA, M-1 Global, and Brave CF. He trained in Russia, where he came to an important realization that any fighter is capable of mental toughness. The highs were fun, but the lows were most important. Hulme credits a 100-plus kilometer trek through South African mountains as a mental refresher during which he found purpose and rejuvenated his career. He also credits Team CIT and teammate Dricus Du Plessis for putting him on the straight path – which has led to a current three-fight winning streak.
The skinny: Hulme trains day in and day out with one of the best middleweights in the world. He’s a thoughtful guy who is not afraid to learn a lesson even if it means failing. From Day 1, it seems Hulme has tried to take the toughest tests available – and has benefited long-term from his short-term shortcomings. With a strong life compass, Hulme thinks it’s not a coincidence a UFC opportunity has fallen into his lap. With “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” scheduled for Unified MMA in Toronto, on the eve of UFC 297, the promotion needed a replacement fighter – and Hulme happened to be in town to support Du Plessis. The stars do seem to be aligning for Hulme, who expects to impress the UFC brass in his ultra-short-notice bout against one of Canada’s best.
In his own words: “To play a small part in Dricus’ journey to become the UFC middleweight champion is the biggest honor of my life. As we landed, he went, ‘Did coach tell you you have a fight?’ I said, ‘No, what do you mean?’ He said, ‘You didn’t get the message?’ I’m like, ‘No.’ I went and checked and I saw the message from my coach. … I just replied, ‘I’ve got this coach.’ This is my life, dude. This week I came to realize while I was water-loading… No sane human being is going to do this unless they f*cking love it.
“I don’t (just) like this sport. I didn’t get into this sport because I wanted a way to make millions fighting. I just f*cking love this sport. I’ve dedicated my whole life to it. I’ve lived in the gym for like three years when I was 18-21. I’ve sacrificed my whole life, my whole being, everything so that I can get the opportunities to get to the UFC. Here we find ourselves now. Basically, the statement goes: Many people do MMA, but I f*cking love it.”
“… I’ve worked so much on myself. I’ve worked so much on my mindset. I’ve worked so much on my skill set. I’ve got men behind me, men of stature. … I’m going to perform. I’m performing in front of Dana White. I’m performing in front of all the fans who are coming from South Africa, not only for Dricus Du Plessis but also for me. That brings a genuine excitement for me. That is something that I can look forward to. I love this.”
This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie