Why Mark Hunt Is Wrong

Most recently, UFC and MMA fighter Mark Hunt went on the war path. He is not happy regarding the alleged failed drug tests for Brock Lesnar stemming from UFC 200. Of course, Mark Hunt is not happy with the news, and he’s been very very verbally outspoken with his anger. He’s targeted his employers, the UFC as well as the UFC’s regulatory body in USADA. He recently appeared on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour and fired away with his true feelings on the matter. Now while Mark Hunt is clearly justified to be angry in some respects, there are many points he’s made that I think he’s wrong about, and I don’t really agree with.

For starters, at the end of the day, if Brock Lesnar cheated, that fault is not with the UFC. Sorry, but it’s not. The UFC is a fight promoter. Brock Lesnar was looking for an MMA fight. Mark Hunt was offered that fight, and he agreed to take it. It is not the UFC’s fault when fighters try to cheat and try to get a leg up on the competition. Even before the fight, Mark Hunt was outspoken about his suspicions and accusations for Lesnar, but he still took the fight because he wanted a big fight and a big payday. Now does that make it acceptable for Lesnar to cheat? No it doesn’t. But the UFC is not at fault because Lesnar allegedly is on the juice. Lesnar had never failed a drug test in his entire career. Lesnar was thoroughly tested before the fight. Now does it suck that banned substances weren’t discovered before the fight? Yes, but that’s the also the nature of the business. It’s not the first time fighters have failed drug tests and the results were not revealed until after the fight, and it won’t be the last either. As long as athletes are able to compete, they will try to find ways to cheat and game the system. Does Lesnar potentially getting caught just show how effective the USADA testing is at this point?

It’s amusing how things have changed. Not long ago, fans and MMA media analysts were practically demanding for a drug testing program like USADA because of the claims that over half the industry was juicing. I will say this. The UFC could never really be its own watchdog for the sport. They are a fight promoter, and it’s really a conflict of interest. They essentially needed to hand over out-of-competition regulation and drug testing to an independent body, and that’s what they’ve done with USADA. And now that big names are potentially being exposed by USADA, there’s this perception that it is hurting the sport. The big fights and fighters we want to see fight are getting hit by USADA sanctions. It’s happening days before fights are supposed to take place. Guess what? If you really want to clean up the sport, this is what’s going to happen going forward. Cheaters have to be rooted out, and it’s not going to be pretty.

The fault here is not with the UFC and USADA. The fault is with fighters who are cheating. They are the ones to blame. That’s where Hunt should be directing his anger. Another silly thing Mark Hunt has done is angle for Brock Lesnar’s entire $2.5 million fight purse. Sorry Hunt, that’s not how the fight game works. There is no law or rule that says even if a fighter cheats, he has to turn over half or over his entire fight purse to you. The UFC doesn’t have to enforce that rule either. Now if Mark Hunt wants to pursue legal options for financial compensation here, more power to him. Also, I’m not against Hunt wanting to try and unionize fighters either, though I’m not sure how far he will get. Personally, I think the UFC and its new owners should probably figure out a way to classify their rosters as actual employees instead of independent contracts as that could potentially fix some of potential problems in the future. Either way, UFC has no obligation to reward Hunt because Lesnar allegedly cheated. In addition, if Lesnar is found guilty of cheating, he is going to get penalized and punished by USADA and the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Well I wanted half but have changed my mind cheaters shouldn't get shit I want all of it cheaters don't deserve shit #cheatersdeservenada

— mark richard hunt (@markhunt1974) July 16, 2016

The other issue here is that while the court of public opinion generally already ruled its verdict here as it often does, there is still an ongoing legal process here. When these “violations” are actually announced to the public, they are still ruled as “possible” or “potential violations.” Fighters are allowed an appeals process and adjudication on their possible failed drug tests. As a result, until the results or legal process are finalized, the UFC taking an official stance one way or the other would be foolish. Everyone is emotionally charged over this, but the UFC can’t act rash here and suddenly ban the likes of Brock Lesnar or Jon Jones from the sport and hand out $5 million fines just because angry fighters or fans say they should. There is an infrastructure in place here, and the legal process regarding what happened with Lesnar has to move forward. Even Lesnar and also Jon Jones will be able to argue their cases in an adjudication process. UFC and USADA would be foolish to try and listen and answer Mark Hunt’s ultimatums and demands just because he’s ticked off.

Also during the interview, Mark Hunt said the following: “Before the fight I was assuming he was cheating. Look at him. There’s no way that guy makes 265 pounds. That guy is a gimp, he’s sticking needles in his ass like the rest of these cheaters. And the thing about that is, he’s sitting here saying ‘this is a fair place.’ Well, it’s not fair. These guys are cheating and they should be in court for it. (They should) lose all of their money if they’re cheating, because if I die in there, who’s going to look after my family. That’s corrupt sh*t, man. These motherf*ckers should be penalized hard. Dirty, scummy, cheating scum. That’s how that monkey won his world title. He didn’t do it by doing it clean. He did it by cheating, just like the rest of these cheaters.”

To be perfectly honest, for Hunt to make these claims sounds a little hypocritical. If it bothers him that much, he got out of the fight game a long time ago. Last time I checked, Hunt refused when the UFC offered to buy out his Pride FC contract. Hunt wanted to fight in the UFC, and the UFC gave him that opportunity. None of this bothered Mark Hunt when he fought in Pride FC which had no drug testing or regulatory body in place. Guess what Mark Hunt? Yes, you have fought cheaters in the UFC. And they are being tested and caught. As opposed to his days of fighting Wanderlei Silva, Josh Barnett, and Mirko Cro Cop in the Pride FC era, when they weren’t being tested and caught. Now fighters are getting tested, and they are getting caught unlike what was happening 5-10 years ago. And that still didn’t keep you from fighting or wanting to take fights. If this bothers Mark Hunt that much, he’s really in the wrong business and should’ve gotten out a long time ago.

Again, Mark Hunt has a right to his anger. On one hand, his anger is understandable. On the UFC’s part, they should’ve gotten ahold of him and spoken to him sooner. Jeff Novitzky reportedly did eventually reach out to Hunt, but it was only after the scathing MMA Hour tirade. UFC representatives should’ve gotten ahold of him sooner to explain to him at least that the legal process with Lesnar has to play out, and even Lesnar is afforded due process, along with the likes of Jon Jones, whether we want to believe they are innocent or guilty. However, I think sometimes, where business is concerned, even if you believe you’ve done wrong, sometimes you have to take a more measured response and take the emotion out of it. I’m not saying Hunt should never explore his legal options here or even to try and unionize fighters, but he could’ve done it a more measured way. At the end of the day, the blame for cheating should be lain where it belongs. On the guys trying to cheat.

Jeffrey Harris is 411mania’s resident Jack of All Trades and has covered MMA for the site since 2008. You can shoot him an e-mail at [email protected] or hit him up on Facebook. He also co-hosts the 411 Ground & Pound Radio Show with Robert Winfree.