Tag: Mark Hunt

Strange Days: The 10 Craziest UFC Moments Of 2017

Now that 2018 has begun, there’s just no other way to say it: 2017 was simply a strange year for the UFC. With record-low pay-per-view numbers at points and outright messes in more than one division as titles became more devalued, it may not have been a banner year for the UFC, but the sport’s […]

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Now that 2018 has begun, there’s just no other way to say it: 2017 was simply a strange year for the UFC.

With record-low pay-per-view numbers at points and outright messes in more than one division as titles became more devalued, it may not have been a banner year for the UFC, but the sport’s leading promotion and its fighters still managed to produce plenty of major talking points over the course of the year.

In this article, we’ll look back at 10 of the craziest moments in the UFC over the past 12 months, from the jaw-dropping action inside the Octagon through to wild antics outside of it, and the occasional curveball that no one saw coming.

Check out the 10 craziest moments from a year that was full of them.

Cris ‘Cyborg’ Punches Angela Magana At UFC Athlete Retreat

The UFC Athlete Retreat in Las Vegas in May was supposed to be an opportunity for fighters to relax, have fun and network, but instead, it turned into a battleground between two bitter rivals.

For several months beforehand, strawweight fighter Angela Magana had been waging an unprovoked cyberbullying campaign against the featherweight star, making fun of her appearance in a series of unflattering memes and messages.

Angered by the insults, ‘Cyborg’ took it upon herself to confront her foe face-to-face at the retreat, but Magana remained defiant and made it clear she had no intention of apologizing, leading to the Brazilian star punching her in the face.

In the aftermath of the incident ‘Cyborg’ received support from fans and other UFC fighters for confronting her tormentor, but Magana ignored the backlash and reported the incident to the police, claimed to have been treated in hospital for a cut lip and ‘cervical strain’ and threatened to file a lawsuit against her rival.

’Cyborg’ was later charged with misdemeanor battery by the Las Vegas Police Department.

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Mark Hunt Planning To Leave UFC After Contract Expires

Mark Hunt has not been happy with the UFC as of late, with highly publicized barbs coming from both ways following Hunt’s removal from a main event rematch against Fabricio Werdum. The UFC pulled Hunt from the card after the heavyweight went on record saying he was dealing with memory loss and other symptoms common […]

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Mark Hunt has not been happy with the UFC as of late, with highly publicized barbs coming from both ways following Hunt’s removal from a main event rematch against Fabricio Werdum.

The UFC pulled Hunt from the card after the heavyweight went on record saying he was dealing with memory loss and other symptoms common with CTE, which occurs after prolonged concussions.

Things have gotten so bad that Hunt says he will be looking for employment elsewhere once his contract is up with the UFC:

“Three fights left, this will be one of them, I got two left and then see you later. That will be the end of my career in the UFC. I have two fights left and that’s it.

“You probably know the path I’ve had with the UFC, but you know, it’s business. I haven’t done nothing wrong, I just don’t like to be treated like shit – even if I’m an employee or whatever and I speak my mind about it and, you know,

“I’ll go from there. So like I said, three fights left and I’ll move on. I’m looking at going and fighting global fights for New Zealand, Australia and probably Japan. It depends on what happens. Like I said, I’m still chasing the dream of that world title.”

Hunt was originally a leftover from the old PRIDE deal, and the UFC initially wanted to pay Hunt’s contract so he wouldn’t have to fight. Hunt opted to forgo the money for a career in the UFC, where he quickly became a fan favorite, known for his walkoff knockouts and granite chin.

Now as an older fighter with a decade plus of damage, Hunt may not be the fighter he once was, but still has a sizable fan base in his native Australia/New Zealand as well as Japan, where he fought for PRIDE and DREAM FC.

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Mark Hunt Planning To Leave UFC After Contract Expires

Mark Hunt has not been happy with the UFC as of late, with highly publicized barbs coming from both ways following Hunt’s removal from a main event rematch against Fabricio Werdum. The UFC pulled Hunt from the card after the heavyweight went on record saying he was dealing with memory loss and other symptoms common […]

The post Mark Hunt Planning To Leave UFC After Contract Expires appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Mark Hunt has not been happy with the UFC as of late, with highly publicized barbs coming from both ways following Hunt’s removal from a main event rematch against Fabricio Werdum.

The UFC pulled Hunt from the card after the heavyweight went on record saying he was dealing with memory loss and other symptoms common with CTE, which occurs after prolonged concussions.

Things have gotten so bad that Hunt says he will be looking for employment elsewhere once his contract is up with the UFC:

“Three fights left, this will be one of them, I got two left and then see you later. That will be the end of my career in the UFC. I have two fights left and that’s it.

“You probably know the path I’ve had with the UFC, but you know, it’s business. I haven’t done nothing wrong, I just don’t like to be treated like shit – even if I’m an employee or whatever and I speak my mind about it and, you know,

“I’ll go from there. So like I said, three fights left and I’ll move on. I’m looking at going and fighting global fights for New Zealand, Australia and probably Japan. It depends on what happens. Like I said, I’m still chasing the dream of that world title.”

Hunt was originally a leftover from the old PRIDE deal, and the UFC initially wanted to pay Hunt’s contract so he wouldn’t have to fight. Hunt opted to forgo the money for a career in the UFC, where he quickly became a fan favorite, known for his walkoff knockouts and granite chin.

Now as an older fighter with a decade plus of damage, Hunt may not be the fighter he once was, but still has a sizable fan base in his native Australia/New Zealand as well as Japan, where he fought for PRIDE and DREAM FC.

The post Mark Hunt Planning To Leave UFC After Contract Expires appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Mark Hunt Set To Make UFC Return

Mark Hunt is set to make a return to the Octagon. The UFC announced on Wednesday morning that the MMA Veteran would be fighting Curtis Blaydes at UFC 221. Some thought that Hunt may never fight in the UFC again due to the drama surrounding him as of late. Hunt was set to take on […]

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Mark Hunt is set to make a return to the Octagon.

The UFC announced on Wednesday morning that the MMA Veteran would be fighting Curtis Blaydes at UFC 221. Some thought that Hunt may never fight in the UFC again due to the drama surrounding him as of late.

Hunt was set to take on Marcin Tybura in the heavyweight main event of UFC Sydney (UFC Fight Night 121) on Sunday, November 19th, 2017 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

However, the promotion announced in October that “The Super Samoan” had been removed from that booking due to “medical concerns” and he was replaced by former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum.

The promotion was claiming at the time to be looking out for the best interest of the former title contender. The Daily Telegraph first reported last week that Hunt had been medically cleared.

Blaydes has surged up the ranks of the division after he suffered a TKO loss to Francis Ngannou in his promotional debut. Since that fight, he has won four straight including wins over Cody East, Adam Milstead, and Oleksiy Oliynyk

UFC 221 is set to take place on Saturday, February 10, 2018, at Perth Arena in Perth, Western Australia. The main card will air on pay-per-view while the preliminary card will air on FOX Sports 1 and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass.

Robert Whittaker defending the UFC  middleweight title against former champion Luke Rockhold will serve as the main event.

Although the promotion has yet to finalize the full fight card and bout order, here is the updated card:

Champ Robert Whittaker vs. Luke Rockhold – for middleweight title
Curtis Blaydes vs. Mark Hunt
Tyson Pedro vs. Saparbek Safarov
Jussier Formiga vs. Ben Nguyen

 

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UFC Reveals If Mark Hunt Has Been Cleared To Compete

Fight fans will able to see hard-hitting Mark Hunt compete once again in the Octagon. If you recall, back in October, Hunt was set to take on Marcin Tybura in the heavyweight main event of UFC Sydney (UFC Fight Night 121), which was slated to take place on Sunday, November 19th, 2017 at Qudos Bank […]

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Fight fans will able to see hard-hitting Mark Hunt compete once again in the Octagon.

If you recall, back in October, Hunt was set to take on Marcin Tybura in the heavyweight main event of UFC Sydney (UFC Fight Night 121), which was slated to take place on Sunday, November 19th, 2017 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

However, the promotion announced that “The Super Samoan” has been removed from that booking due to “medical concerns” and he was replaced by former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum.

The promotion was claiming at the time to be looking out for the best interest of the former title contender.

The Daily Telegraph first reported earlier this week that Hunt had been medically cleared.

“After a full medical analysis at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, UFC confirms that heavyweight athlete Mark Hunt has been cleared to compete,” a statement provided exclusively to MMAFighting.com read.

After the promotion pulled him from this fight, the UFC asked Hunt to undergo extensive brain testing in Las Vegas to find out if he was still fit to fight at 43 years old, and it was determined earlier this week that he was.

“Yeah, was nothing wrong with me,” Hunt told MMAFighting.com when asked about the results.

It should be noted that Hunt is currently in the midst of a lawsuit against the UFC, UFC president Dana White, and Brock Lesnar. The reason for this lawsuit is due to his belief that the UFC circumvented drug testing rules to allow Lesnar to fight him at UFC 200. As seen at the event, Lesnar defeated Hunt by unanimous decision.

However, the former UFC heavyweight champion was later flagged for two separate USADA violations, and the result was turned into a no contest.

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Mark Hunt’s Manager Says His Fighter is Cleared, Wants Rematch With Werdum

If Mark Hunt’s manager is to be believed, then the Samoan bruiser is set to make a return. Hunt was initially supposed to take Marcin Tybura last month in the main event of UFC Fight Night 121. Hunt was pulled from the card due to concerns stemmi…

If Mark Hunt’s manager is to be believed, then the Samoan bruiser is set to make a return. Hunt was initially supposed to take Marcin Tybura last month in the main event of UFC Fight Night 121. Hunt was pulled from the card due to concerns stemming from an interview where he admitted he had […]