"This company is a bunch of crooks" - Mark Hunt unleashes lengthy rant against Dana White and the UFC
Mark Hunt is in the middle of a legal battle with the UFC. He claims Dana White and the Fertitta brothers allowed Brock Lesnar to fight him at UFC 200 despite being aware of his failed drug test.
Hunt filed a lawsuit against the UFC in 2017, and the dispute is far from being settled.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on the latest episode of The MMA Hour, Hunt vehemently criticized the UFC.
"The truth is they cheated, Lesnar cheated, and yet I'm the one sitting here and lost rest of my career that I could've fought a few more contracts. People complain about me whining about it and I'm like 'they've been doing this for a long, long time'... It's just ridiculous. I'm the only one here that has done nothing wrong. This can't be the answer. Me just getting screwed and they keep doing it to every other fighter... People are starting to realize now. They're starting to realize and see that what's happening and what's been happening for a long, long time is this company is a bunch of crooks," said Mark Hunt.
Watch Mark Hunt's full interview on The MMA Hour below:
Hunt last fought in the UFC in December 2018. After leaving the company, he intended to fight under other promotions.
However, Hunt claimed he was blacklisted by the UFC, which restricted him from joining other major MMA organizations. His sole combat sports appearance since leaving the UFC was a loss in a boxing match to Paul Gallen in 2020.
The 47-year-old added ongoing legal dispute with the UFC also took away his passion for the fight game.
Mark Hunt believes his career was meaningless
Before trying his hand at MMA, Mark Hunt had served jail time twice in New Zealand. 'The Super Samoan' told Ariel Helwani that if it wasn't for the sport that he deeply fell in love with, he would have likely become a criminal.
Having been caught up in a legal and diplomatic battle with the UFC, Hunt now feels his career stands for nothing.
"They've cheated so many people, especially with the steroids... This being my life, it's the only fight [against the UFC] that matters. All my career is meaningless to be honest because at the end of this rainbow here that fighting was supposed to be for me, all I see is a bunch of little crooks," said Mark Hunt.
Reports of Hunt being ordered to pay $375,000 to the UFC in legal fees emerged last week.
Christina Denning, the former UFC star's lawyer, later clarified that it was an old ruling from March 2021.
In September 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reopened one of Hunt's previously dismissed charges against the UFC, meaning he is exempt from paying legal fees for the time being.