Hunt lashes Sydney axing
Fighter says legal stoush behind decision, not medical reasons
AUSSIE UFC heavyweight contender Mark Hunt has confirmed he will launch legal action against the UFC after being dumped from the promotion’s Sydney card.
In an interview with News Corp, Hunt revealed he had employed his legal team to take matters further after the UFC pulled him from the main event bout against Poland’s Marcin Tybura.
“I’d love to say more but I just can’t,” he said.
“I can’t say anything until the lawyers talk to me . . . you know it’s not about me being able to fight or not, it’s about my lawsuit (against the UFC and Brock Lesnar), that’s what it’s about.”
Asked if he planned to sue the UFC over his withdrawal from the November 19 bout, he quipped: “I don’t know whether I’ve got no choice.
“They said I can’t fight . . . I don’t have any idea why they’re doing this . . . actually I do, it’s because of my lawsuit and it’s not fair.
“They never cared about my health and safety before, now all of a sudden they’re worried about my health and safety.
“They let fighters fight that were juicers. How ridiculous is that? I have to wait to see what my lawyer says.”
Hunt was sensationally pulled from the bout due to “medical concerns” stemming from a first-person article with Players Voice in which he was slurring his speech and confessed “forgetting something I did yesterday”.
“My body is f----- but my mind is still here. I’ve still got my senses about me and I know what’s right and wrong, which is the main thing,” he wrote in Players Voice.
“Sometimes I don’t sleep well. You can hear me starting to stutter and slur my words. My memory is not that good any more.
“I’ll forget something I did yesterday but I can remember the s--- I did years and years ago. That’s just the price I’ve paid — the price of being a fighter.
“But I’ve fought a lot of drug cheats and copped a lot of punishment from guys who were cheating and that’s not right.”
The UFC acted swiftly, replacing Hunt with Brazilian superstar Fabricio Werdum, and declared the Sydneybased star must have more tests.
“Following a recent firstperson article published by heavyweight Mark Hunt, the UFC has taken the precautionary steps of removing Hunt from a previously announced bout in Sydney, Australia,” a UFC official told News Corp.
“The health-related statements made by Hunt in the article represent the first time UFC was made aware of these claims.
“Athlete health and safety is of the utmost importance to the organisation and it would never knowingly schedule an athlete complaining of health issues for a fight.
“The organisation will require that Hunt undergo further testing and evaluations prior to competing in any future UFC bout.”
But Hunt was having none of it, taking aim at the UFC and its president Dana White in an expletive-laden tirade on social media.
“I spent hours the other day with the doctor. I was cleared to fight. The interview I did with Players Voice was misquoted. I don’t slur my words. It’s a running joke between my wife and me. My memory isn’t great but who remembers s---,” he said.
“I’m disappointed that I have been withdrawn from the fight, I have passed all medicals two days ago. And spent $100,000 on camp.
“The truth is the legal case I have filed caused me to be withdrawn. The interview has been taken out of context and I want to reassure my fans, I slur my words only when I have a drink. I’m fit and healthy, and would have understood if the UFC requested a medical to ensure my safety, however this is total bulls---. F--- you Dana, you’ve always hated me, you dog.”
The No.5 heavyweight in the world is involved in a legal battle with the UFC and American WWE star Lesnar.
Hunt is demanding compensation after Lesnar failed two drug tests following their encounter at UFC 200.