MMA legend Mark Hunt has exposed the flaws of the UFC

New Zealander Mark Hunt, nicknamed Superman, is a very well-known personality in the mixed martial arts world. The athlete has a solid number of fights under his belt, his opponents were almost all leading fighters. It is a paradox, but Mark Hunt’s fame did not come from his victories in the ring. His personal tally of victories and defeats of the latter is even more. And after the age of 35, when many MMA fighters are still in a very good shape, Hunt suffered a lot and was more “a punching bag” than a formidable competitor.

Nevertheless, the racy appearance and flamboyant demeanour has been in demand throughout his career. The fights, which involved an impressive-looking athlete with a tattooed torso, were of immense interest to spectators, and as a result Mark Hunt commanded a respectable fee, even if his athletic prowess was not particularly impressive.

Mark Hunt’s life after retirement.

Mark Hunt has not fallen into oblivion since retiring from the ring. He now has no intention of enjoying retirement, as they say. The fighter, leaving behind fist swinging phase of his career, started to “burn with the verb”. And as an opponent he chose not anyone, but the UFC, an influential MMA institution which promotes the leading fighters.   

The main disadvantages of the UFC for fighters

The piquancy of the situation is that Mark Hunt himself has been under the tutelage of the UFC and its chairman Daina White for 8 years, i.e. for the most part of his active career. The New Zealander is now one of White’s most active opponents and critics. And he is making life very difficult for his ex-promoter. Hunt managed to study UFC’s inner workings for 8 years.

Among the reasons of his grudge against UFC the former fighter names unsatisfactory, to his mind, medical service of athletes, anti-doping policy, which is not beneficial for fighters. But the most serious grievances are expressed by Hunt about the size of the fees of fighters competing under the auspices of the UFC.

Hunt claims that even the most titled fighters receive penny payments for their fights. Hunt cited Dane White’s recent conflict with famed MMA fighter Francis Ngannou as an example. Hunt solidarised with Nganna, who is also making claims over the size of his fees. The former fighter described the $600,000 paid to Nganna per fight as “robbery”.

Commenting on the situation, Hunt stated that even in the twilight of his career, without any big titles, he used to get no less than 950 thousand dollars for the fight. Hunt says he demanded exactly this fee for himself, because he deserved exactly this amount.

The protracted fight between Mark Hunt and the UFC continues. Dane White has so far been reacting to his former charge’s attacks with restraint and irony, trying not to get into a ‘tough wedge’. But Hunt is not relenting. He even declares his intention to “raze” the UFC to the ground. But how far he will succeed is a big question. So far the former MMA fighter has been making quite a stir, but he has failed to seriously harm the image and credibility of one of the world’s biggest mixed martial arts organisations.