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Global News
6 days ago
- Sport
- Global News
‘Big Game' Hunter Lee sizing up opponents in transition from wrestling to MMA career
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.
Ottawa Citizen
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
NHL Entry Draft: Roger McQueen serving up a first-round wild-card
Roger McQueen — a first-round prospect in this week's NHL Draft — has been asked about many things by now. Article content Article content Roger, that. Article content Turns out his dad, Scott — a former member of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies who played in the Western Hockey League with the Red Deer Rebels and Saskatoon Blades — is not only a big tennis fan, but also a big fan of tennis great Roger Federer. Article content Article content Article content 'Well, that's what my dad tells me — he's a huge Federer fan, a huge Federer fan,' stresses Roger McQueen. 'He tells me that. I'm not 100 per cent sure, but there's a great chance that I am named after Federer.' Article content When it comes to Roger McQueen, however, it's 100 per cent about hockey. Article content It's been like that ever since he grew up playing in the Saskatoon Minor Hockey Association's Bobcats zone and later with the Saskatoon AAA Blazers. Article content He's gone on to star for the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings, who selected him fourth overall in the 2021 Prospects Draft, and internationally for Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, World U-17 Hockey Challenge and World U-18 championship. Article content Article content However, the 6-foot-5, 200-pound McQueen enters this year's NHL Entry Draft with both an exclamation mark and a question mark attached to his name. Article content Article content Admittedly, he's a bit of a wild-card after missing most of this past season while recovering from a pars fracture of the spine, also known as spondylolysis. Article content McQueen doesn't mind being a so-called wild-card. If he is indeed considered one of those 'high-risk, high-reward' prospects, he hopes to reward the NHL team that picks him in a big way. Article content 'It's kind of cool, in a sense,' he says. 'Obviously, I wouldn't want the injury. But at the same time, it's healed and I'm excited to have a team draft me and have a healed version of me. It's exciting going into the draft and kind of being the wild-card, as everyone says.'
Vancouver Sun
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
'Big Game' Hunter Lee chasing MMA Ultimate Fighting Championship dream
Hunter Lee has a new nickname. Taking on larger opponents in the mixed martial arts arena will do that. 'Ever since the last one — the guy was way bigger than me — people have been calling me the 'Big-Game Hunter,'' says Lee, the former University of Saskatchewan Huskies wrestling standout-turned MMA fighter. 'I think that's going to be my nickname from now on.' 'Big Game Hunter Lee' has a license to thrill in the octagon cage. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Lee has signed up to take on American Chris Choo for his next match, slated for July 19 in Tampa, Fla., where Lee hopes to improve his professional record to 4-and-0 while Choo tests his 4-2-0 pro record. It's a light-heavyweight class (195 pounds), although the 5-foot-11 Lee, as a wrestler and not MMA fighter, had last competed in the 86-kilogram (189-pound) class. He sees his eventual MMA weight class in the 170 to 175-pound range. Choo, who stands 6-foot-1, will have the advantage in height and reach. The 25-year-old Lee — a former U Sports national champion and junior world bronze medalist on the wrestling mat — has had trouble finding MMA opponents matching his true weight category. 'I literally haven't had to cut weight for any of my fights,' he points out. 'My last two fights, and possibly this fight coming up, I have no weight-cutting. It's just stepping on the scale for what I naturally weigh and fighting the bigger guys.' That's been a world of difference from his days as a competitive international freestyle wrestler. Those athletes are known to dehydrate themselves, sometimes drastically, to meet a certain weight class. 'It is (quite different), for sure,' admits Lee, a native of Flin Flon who calls Saskatoon home. 'So my real weight class, once I'll be fighting for a title shot, would be 170 or 175, somewhere around there, and all my fights have been around 195-205. I'm giving up 30-35 pounds to where I'd like to be.' Lee would like to be hunting in the UFC Octagon eventually. He's looking at a few different potential pathways. A main entry point to the Ultimate Fighting Championship is the UFC Contender Series. To get there, an up-and-comer like Lee would likely have to get scouted and noticed while competing in the so-called feeder leagues and promotional cards at the regional level, where fights are shown on the UFC streaming sites. 'I'm fighting in those ones and, if you can rack up some wins, get a title shot — like, win a title on one of those promotions, that's how the UFC takes notice,' Lee explains. There's also the Ultimate Fighter reality TV show, which had been the classic way to get into the UFC house. But he says the Contender Series 'is the main way to get it.' UFC CEO Dana White and his staff are on hand to watch matches in the UFC performance studio with no fans and only the prospects and coaches. 'Even if you win, you're not guaranteed a spot,' explains Lee. 'You have to impress them with the win, as well. If they like what they see, they'll add you into the UFC.' A third way you get into the UFC, adds Lee, is if you rack up enough wins on the regional scene and you're doing well enough, sometimes they'll pull you right into the UFC without making you go on the Contender Series. 'Any of those ways to get it, I'd be happy at this point,' admits Lee. 'They start looking at guys around 5-and-0. So I'm 3-and-0 right now. If we can get two more wins in, within this year, then I could be looking at that (UFC opportunity) by early next year. ' Lee hopes for a title shot with Unified MMA in the fall. 'That's the plan: Get one more win, get the title in Unified (MMA promotion series) and then we're 5-and-0 with the title in the feeder leagues.' OLYMPIC WRESTLING DREAM ON HOLD Meanwhile, Lee hasn't totally given up on his Olympic wrestling dream. He last competed in 2023 Pan American Games in Chile, where he won bronze in the 86-kg freestyle event. He says he's 'mostly done' with wrestling, but he's keeping that door open a wee bit. He still does some wrestling training for MMA with former Huskie and current Team Canada wrestler Andrew Johnston. 'I could see myself coming back for the 2028 (Los Angeles) Olympics, if it looked like it was something I could win,' Lee says. 'But, if we have really good guys from Canada in my weight class, then I'm not even going to try. After that one, I will for sure be done. 'I won't do it any further than (2028) but I'm keeping that door open just a little bit, because I still could make a run for it if it looks like it's something I could do. It would be nice to be able to say that 'I was an Olympian.' ' The end goal, however, is the UFC. 'The end goal,' Lee is quick to correct, 'is actually UFC champion .' For that, Lee plans to be patient. 'A lot of guys, their goal is to just get their foot in the door (at the UFC level), so it's like, 'I got a fight' but then they've lost all their fights and got cut. If I had to choose, I would rather look at the big picture of things, even if it takes me longer in the UFC, but I could actually get in there and make a run for a title. That's what I'd rather do rather than just be like, 'I want my one fight.' ' After all, there is plenty of big game left to hunt. dzary@ The Saskatoon Star Phoenix has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.
Calgary Herald
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Rider training camp: Team brings back Noah Zerr to depleted O-line
Article content Noah Zerr is back with the Saskatchewan Roughriders after being released last week. Article content The Riders have re-signed the national offensive lineman — a former member of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies — to re-stock a depleted O-line following a long-term injury to center Sean McEwen and the absence of Philippe Gagnon from Monday's practice session. Article content During the Green and White Day, Riders head coach Corey Mace revealed that McEwen, a key free-agent addition in the off-season, would be 'out for a while.' Article content Article content Mace did not yet have an update on Gagnon's status when asked Monday. Article content Article content The 6-foot-6, 325-pound Zerr returns to the Green and White after suiting up for 11 games for the Riders last season. As a member of a versatile O-line group, he helped the offence generate 5,019 passing yards and 1,613 rushing yards. In addition, the offensive line allowed just 35 sacks — six shy of the league's best total. Article content Zerr, a native of Langenburg, Sask., was selected by the B.C. Lions in the second round (12th overall) of the 2022 CFL Draft and appeared in four games during his rookie season. He spent the 2023 season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and played in three games before signing with Saskatchewan in December of 2023. Article content Zerr spent five seasons with the U of S Huskies from 2016-2022, appearing in 41 games, primarily as a starting left tackle. In 2021, he helped the Huskies win the Hardy Cup and Uteck Bowl. That same year, Zerr received multiple accolades, including U Sports First-Team all-Canadian and Canada West all-star honours, while also being named the Huskies' lineman of the year. Article content
Ottawa Citizen
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Rider training camp: Team brings back Noah Zerr to depleted O-line
Noah Zerr is back with the Saskatchewan Roughriders after being released last week. Article content The Riders have re-signed the national offensive lineman — a former member of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies — to re-stock a depleted O-line following a long-term injury to center Sean McEwen and the absence of Philippe Gagnon from Monday's practice session. Article content During the Green and White Day, Riders head coach Corey Mace revealed that McEwen, a key free-agent addition in the off-season, would be 'out for a while.' Article content Mace did not yet have an update on Gagnon's status when asked Monday. Article content Article content The 6-foot-6, 325-pound Zerr returns to the Green and White after suiting up for 11 games for the Riders last season. As a member of a versatile O-line group, he helped the offence generate 5,019 passing yards and 1,613 rushing yards. In addition, the offensive line allowed just 35 sacks — six shy of the league's best total. Article content Zerr, a native of Langenburg, Sask., was selected by the B.C. Lions in the second round (12th overall) of the 2022 CFL Draft and appeared in four games during his rookie season. He spent the 2023 season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and played in three games before signing with Saskatchewan in December of 2023. Article content Zerr spent five seasons with the U of S Huskies from 2016-2022, appearing in 41 games, primarily as a starting left tackle. In 2021, he helped the Huskies win the Hardy Cup and Uteck Bowl. That same year, Zerr received multiple accolades, including U Sports First-Team all-Canadian and Canada West all-star honours, while also being named the Huskies' lineman of the year. Article content
