‘Big Game' Hunter Lee sizing up opponents in transition from wrestling to MMA career

Global News

6 days ago

In a sport where weight class matters so much, 25-year old MMA fighter Hunter Lee isn't fazed by opponents 10, 20 or even 30 pounds heavier than he is.
That was just the case in late May at Unified 62 in Toronto, as the 185-pound Lee jumped up to the 205-pound division and knocked out opponent Cal Kostiniuk.
'I went and had some all-you-can-eat ribs the night before so that I could be close to his weight,' said Lee. 'He's a big guy, like six-foot-four and I'm five-foot-11, so a big height difference. It doesn't make a difference to me, they've been calling me the 'Big Game Hunter' since then because I'm willing to fight anyone, anytime.'
Inspired by MMA fighters such as Chuck Liddell and Canadian great Georges St-Pierre, Lee has become one of the country's rising stars in the sport.
Story continues below advertisement
Since winning at Unified 62, Lee is coming off a victory by unanimous decision over Chris Choo at a Cage Fury Fighting Championships event in Florida to improve his professional record to an undefeated 4-0.
It's something that doesn't surprise Jesse Boldt, a muay thai instructor at Modern Martial Arts Center in Saskatoon where Lee trains.
'We know what it's like to go with Hunter in the gym,' said Boldt. 'So we know his poor opponents, how they're going to feel going against him. When he wins the way he does, it's expected because we feel it in the gym.'
Lee's strength comes from a dominant ground game developed over his collegiate career with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies wrestling team between 2017 and 2022, where he'd become a national champion with the program and become an alternate for the Canadian Olympic team.
First discovered by coach Daniel Olver with the Huskies' junior program, Lee's progression into the MMA world doesn't surprise the University of Saskatchewan coach one bit.
'It was always something that Hunter wanted to get into,' said Olver. 'We knew that when he was part of the Junior Huskies program and then into the [University of Saskatchewan] Huskies program, this was his end goal here.
Story continues below advertisement
'In terms of seeing that success when he was a Huskie now being able to transfer into MMA, we always talk about how excellence is a transferrable skill. He was excellent as a Huskie, he was dedicated to winning and he's transferring that right into MMA.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
'I'm not surprised that he's having the success that he is.'
For Lee, the wrestling background has allowed him to control fights on the ground more effectively while also having a framework to cut weight once he begins fighting more opponents within his planned weight class of 170 to 175 pounds.
Calling himself the 'most ducked professional MMA fighter,' he said it's been a struggle to find opponents who want to go up against his wrestling background.
'With wrestling you just compete against whoever shows up,' said Lee. 'You go to the national tournament and you just sign up, whoever is in your bracket you got to go against them and you can't say no. In MMA, guys can say no and then they'll get a different opponent that's easier.
'I had a lot of problems with that earlier in my career. It's because my grappling level from my wrestling career is so much higher than what they're used to seeing.'
Part of that transition to MMA life full-time has been gaining confidence on the microphone after matches, a trait which Lee believes helps market the sport and gain interest in young fighters such as himself.
Story continues below advertisement
1:15
USask Huskies star guard Grassick named U Sports Female Athlete of the Year
That came to life following his Unified 62 victory, as he called out a list of potential opponents just minutes after winning his match.
'I want to put on an interview that people want to see,' said Lee. 'For my first two fights they didn't let me do an in-cage interview because of the time limit and I was earlier on the card. I was like, 'As soon as they give me the mic, I'm going to make it worthwhile so that they want to give me the mic in the future.' I feel like I did that.'
Hoping to one day advance through the levels of MMA and reach the vaunted UFC, they're dreams that were born in his hometown of Flin Flon, Man., and grown in his adopted home of Saskatoon over the past seven years.
They're communities that Lee said he fights for every time he steps into the octagon.
Story continues below advertisement
'I walk out to The Last Saskatchewan Pirate so I always got those roots,' said Lee. 'Even though technically Flin Flon is a border town, so I feel like I represent Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The Last Saskatchewan Pirate is my walk-out song, I always carry that sort of representation even into the UFC.'
Watching the impact Lee has had on other fighters at their gym, Boldt added there's a sense of magic around his story and the paths toward professional fighting that others in the province can take.
'I think it's really cool because it gives the belief in other people from some small town in the middle of nowhere that they can do big things as well,' said Boldt.
'In small communities, it gives them hope where you don't have to be from Vancouver, Montreal or even Saskatoon. You can be from a small town and do great things.'
Lee will look to keep his undefeated record intact later this year, as he's looking to fight at a Unified MMA event in Edmonton in October.