Tag: Mark Hunt

Mark Hunt looks in incredible shape ahead of boxing match vs. Sonny Bill Williams: “No more cheesecakes”

Mark HuntMMA and kickboxing legend Mark Hunt may be 48 years old, but he is looking to be in the best shape of his life. The ‘Super Samoan’ will be facing Sonny Bill Williams in a boxing match on November 5. When Hunt got the call for the fight, he knew he needed to get in […]

Mark Hunt

MMA and kickboxing legend Mark Hunt may be 48 years old, but he is looking to be in the best shape of his life. The ‘Super Samoan’ will be facing Sonny Bill Williams in a boxing match on November 5.

When Hunt got the call for the fight, he knew he needed to get in shape. In an interview, Hunt explained:

“No more cheesecakes … When I got the call from Khoder, I’m 48 and have to pay for these lawsuits. I feel great but I got conjunctivitis coming back from Thailand. But I feel good and looking forward to competing this weekend.”

To help get the ‘Super Samoan‘ sharp for his November 5 boxing match, Hunt was working with Powerhouse Phuket and Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand. While in the gym, the Kiwi-born fighter has lost a whopping 60 pounds. On Facebook, he shared a photo.

Mark Hunt vs. Sonny Bill Williams

On November 5, Mark Hunt will be stepping back into the ring. In professional kickboxing, the Kiwi fighter made his professional debut in 1999. In his storied career, he had faced the best of the golden era kickboxers including Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovi?, Semmy Schilt, Jerome Le Banner, Ernesto Hoost, and many others. The high point of his career came in 2001 when he won the K-1 World Grand Prix Championship, having defeated Francisco Filho, Stefan Leko, and Le Banner on the same night. Hunt was a feared powerful heavyweight in MMA as well. He would compete in both PRIDE FC and the UFC during his career.

Mark Hunt’s most recent bout was a losing boxing match in 2020 against Paul Gallen. The ‘Super Samoan’ will be seeking to redeem himself when he faces Sonny Bill Williams on November 5. Sonny Bill Williams is an incredibly accomplished rugby player having won the Rugby World Cup twice. In professional boxing, the Kiwi heavyweight has a perfect 9-0 record. Most recently, he is coming off a first-round TKO victory earlier this year.

Ex-UFC Title Challenger Calls Dana White A ‘Bald Idiot’ For Gifting $250,000 To Nelk Boys Member

Dana WhiteUFC president Dana White recently came under fire after gifting Nelk Boys founder Kyle Forgeard $250,000 in cash for the YouTuber’s birthday. For his 28th birthday, Forgeard was surprised with a massive cash gift by the UFC boss that has gotten the attention of many fans and fighters. With fighter pay continuing to be a […]

Dana White

UFC president Dana White recently came under fire after gifting Nelk Boys founder Kyle Forgeard $250,000 in cash for the YouTuber’s birthday.

For his 28th birthday, Forgeard was surprised with a massive cash gift by the UFC boss that has gotten the attention of many fans and fighters. With fighter pay continuing to be a hot-button issue in the sport, many believe that White should have used the money to reward underpaid athletes while others argue that the money came out of White’s own pocket and what he does with his own money should not be scrutinized by the MMA community.

Former UFC title challenger Mark Hunt recently spoke out about White’s generous gift to the YouTube star, calling it “disgusting.”

“That’s just a slap on these fighters, that’s what upsets me because these fighters are probably living on $10,000,” Hunt told The AllStar. “They can’t get sponsors and that bald idiot goes and gives that YouTuber $250,000. That’s more than probably more than some of the champions get, that’s disgusting.”

Mark Hunt sued the UFC in 2017 claiming that the promotion knew about Brock Lesnar‘s failed substance abuse test before the fighters stepped into the Octagon at UFC 200. Lesnar won the fight via unanimous decision but was later changed to a no contest after Lesnar had tested positive for the banned substance clomiphene during a pre-fight drug test. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2019 and Hunt was ordered to pay the UFC more than $380,000 in a countersuit to recover legal fees.

“They’re the No.1 [fighters] in the world,” said Hunt. They should be held to a high regard, but they’re not. You’ve got idiots like Dana White giving away $250,000, that’s money from the fighters. He’s giving away money that he’s stolen money from the fighters. He’s saying ‘hey, you’re just beginning [in the UFC] so I’ll give you $10,000’ but he’s giving this idiot $250,000′”.

Dana White Tells Critics of his Quarter-Million Dollar Gift to ‘Go F*ck Yourselves’

Following the backlash online from his quarter-million dollar gift to a member of the YouTube prank group, Dana White appeared on The Pat McAfee Show to deliver a rather blunt message to his critics.

“Let me set this record straight,” White said. “First of all, all these people on the internet – go f*ck yourselves. Ok. I spend my money however the f*ck I want to spend my money. Mind your own f*cking business.

“No. 2, if you look at what Kyle and the Nelk Boys have done as far as how they’re handling and a lot of other things that they’ve done, those kids have never asked me for anything, ever. They’ve never asked me for anything, and they couldn’t be better people. Kyle has done so many things for me. Believe me, the $250,000 that I gave him for his birthday, it does not cover the amount of things that kid has done for me.”

One can certainly understand Dana White’s frustration. He gifted the money to a friend out of his own pocket. People gift money to friends and family members all the time. Unfortunately for White and the UFC, they have been under fire for years by fans and fighters for short-changing talent on all levels. So when White gives away a large chunk of money or brags about losing millions of dollars whilst gambling, fans and employees, former and present, are going to have an opinion on it.

No matter what side of the conversation you landed on, Dana White had a very straightforward message to everyone with an opinion on the subject.

“Don’t count other people’s money and mind your own f*cking business,” White said.

Mark Hunt Rips “Ruthless Businessman” Dana White Over Fighter Treatment

Mark HuntFormer UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt isn’t holding back on his thoughts of UFC president Dana White and the way he treats the promotion’s roster. Hunt has been vocal on his stance towards the UFC after a tumultuous ending to his tenure with the promotion. Following a loss to Brock Lesnar at UFC 200, he took […]

Mark Hunt

Former UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt isn’t holding back on his thoughts of UFC president Dana White and the way he treats the promotion’s roster.

Hunt has been vocal on his stance towards the UFC after a tumultuous ending to his tenure with the promotion. Following a loss to Brock Lesnar at UFC 200, he took legal action against the promotion after Lesnar tested positive for PEDs during a pre-fight drug test.

White has been under fire in recent weeks for his treatment of Francis Ngannou, specifically. To Hunt, it isn’t surprising to see White at odds with the management of one of the sport’s biggest stars.

During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Hunt explained why he doesn’t understand why fans admire White and his business model.

Mark Hunt Continues His Public Criticism Of UFC President Dana White

“I don’t know why people think Dana’s a good person,” Hunt said. “He’s just a ruthless businessman and he cares not about any one of those people. The truth is if you can’t fight or bring an audience, you’re not even, you shouldn’t be part of the other thing. It just makes me laugh how people can brown-nose him all the time thinking they’re going to get a leg up from him… Even trying to get a contract in that company it’s just disappointing you wouldn’t want to get one there to be honest.” (h/t SportsKeeda)

Hunt isn’t the only former UFC fighter who has been critical of White and the UFC. Former champion and MMA legend Randy Couture‘s once cordial relationship with White has been severed entirely in recent years after Couture has criticized him.

Hunt still has lawsuits filed against the UFC and we should learn more about the legal action later this year. For now, Hunt isn’t pulling punches despite being retired from MMA.

Do you agree with Mark Hunt?

Mark Hunt Shows Support For Francis Ngannou Amidst UFC Tension

Francis Ngannou, Mark HuntFormer UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt thinks what Francis Ngannou is doing is right when it comes to standing up for fair fighter pay and treatment. Ngannou most recently defended his heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. He had plenty of distractions going into the fight but managed to power through with a unanimous […]

Francis Ngannou, Mark Hunt

Former UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt thinks what Francis Ngannou is doing is right when it comes to standing up for fair fighter pay and treatment.

Ngannou most recently defended his heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. He had plenty of distractions going into the fight but managed to power through with a unanimous decision victory.

Despite the win, the apparent bad blood between Ngannou and the UFC brass hasn’t cooled off. This was after UFC president Dana White was notably absent from post-fight media availability and refused to put the belt on Ngannou as the official decision was read.

Ngannou has criticized White and the UFC for mistreating him during his tenure, and more specifically not allowing him to pursue other options such as boxing.

In a recent Instagram comment, Hunt came to the defense of Ngannou for wanting more freedom with his current deal.

Mark Hunt Congratulates Francis Ngannou On Standing Up To The UFC

“Congratulations, [Francis Ngannou]!” Hunt said. “It’s about time some fighters grew some balls and it’s good to see you speaking the truth about how this grubby company operates. They have been doing this for such a long time and all these brown-nosing rodents. They all work for ufc in the media section. Fake accounts.”

Hunt has had his back-and-forths with the UFC over the years and is currently suing them for allowing Brock Lesnar to fight him at UFC 200 despite testing positive for banned substances in a pre-fight test.

Hunt lost three-straight bouts in the octagon before parting ways with the promotion in 2018.

Ngannou is on the last fight of his contract and negotiations appear to be heading nowhere as of right now. It seems like the ongoing saga between Ngannou and the UFC brass doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon.

Do you think Francis Ngannou will fight in the UFC again?

Mark Hunt Advocates For Fighter Pay: “Not A Good Idea” To Be A Fighter

Mark HuntFormer UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt is stopping at nothing for him to get the UFC to increase benefits given to their fighters. Hunt is retired from the UFC and last fought against Justin Willis in 2018. His issues with the promotion began after he competed against former champion Brock Lesnar, who he lost to but […]

Mark Hunt

Former UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt is stopping at nothing for him to get the UFC to increase benefits given to their fighters.

Hunt is retired from the UFC and last fought against Justin Willis in 2018. His issues with the promotion began after he competed against former champion Brock Lesnar, who he lost to but was later turned to a no-contest after Lesnar tested positive for performance enhancers.

Hunt has been an advocate for UFC fighters to be treated by the brass, and more specifically UFC president Dana White. During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Hunt spoke about his passion for the fighter pay issue.

“It’s a fight for proper pay, what the top-end boxer gets,” Hunt said. “Like Joseph Parker, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, all these top-end boxers, Canelo, when they make it to the top they split half of the revenue automatically. Whereas a UFC fighter has to say, ‘Can I get a dollar off the pay-per-view? Can I get 50 cents?’. This stuff really annoys me, because it’s taken my fighting career and I felt that as I was competing in there. I felt when I was competing in the UFC I just lost all love and interest because what is the purpose of this?”

Mark Hunt Gives Advice To Potential MMA Fighters

Hunt went on to elaborate on why he believes fighting in MMA may not be for everyone, especially from a financial point of view.

“Until things change with the UFC until they start looking after their fighters, pension, health insurance, better pay,” Hunt said. “And people compare a normal job’s pay to what they do for a living. It’s not the same level. You’re not getting beat up in front of the whole planet for an income, but to be able to compete at the highest end it’s just different. I feel right now with the fighters, if they want to be a fighter, it’s not a good idea right now. It’s just not the right time.”

Hunt’s ongoing legal dispute with the UFC has turned more hostile over time, and Hunt went as far as challenging White and the Fertitta brothers to an MMA fight.

Hunt doesn’t appear to be slowing down his legal battles with the UFC anytime soon, and it’ll be interesting to see how his lawsuits come to fruition.

What are your thoughts on the ongoing UFC fighter pay debate?

Mark Hunt Challenges Dana White & Fertitta Brothers To Fight

Former UFC fighter Mark Hunt has proposed a potential fight with UFC’s top figures to potentially drop his lawsuit against them.

Hunt has been in a legal battle with the UFC for years. He first took them to court over his 2017 bout against Brock Le…

Mark Hunt

Former UFC fighter Mark Hunt has proposed a potential fight with UFC’s top figures to potentially drop his lawsuit against them.

Hunt has been in a legal battle with the UFC for years. He first took them to court over his 2017 bout against Brock Lesnar. He alleged that the promotion knew Lesnar was taking performance-enhancing substances but allowed him to fight Hunt anyway.

While most of his lawsuit was thrown out by a U.S. District Court in Nevada, a recent ruling in the court of appeals brought his allegation of fraud and battery back to life.

Hunt recently issued a statement online saying he is willing to drop his lawsuit if he loses a fight to Dana White, Frank, and Lorenzo Fertitta. On the flip side, he wants a win for him to mean UFC would pay talent they have “ripped off.”

“Mark the super Samoan vs Dana the parasite White Lorenzo Fertita and Frank Fertita,” Hunt began in an Instagram post. “5 rounds mma these losers @danawhite frank Fertita Lorenzo Fertita has sucked the life out of so many fighters him and his scum friends -u win I drop the law suit-I win u pay every fighter u have ripped off since @ufc started now who would pay to see that.”

The United States District Court in Nevada recently ordered Hunt to pay nearly $400,000 to cover UFC’s legal fees. The ruling for Hunt to pay legal fees was made months back and was uncovered recently by Combat Sports Law.

The order for Hunt to pay the fees was made due to a part of Hunt’s contract with the UFC, which allows them to be awarded money for “its attorney’s fees and costs” if they are the “prevailing party” in a lawsuit. UFC was able to dismiss numerous motions in the case.

“Because I find that UFC is entitled to attorneys’ fees and costs under the parties’ agreement, its request is reasonable, and its motion is ripe, I grant UFC’s motion in its entirety,” said the Nevada court in a document dated March 25th, 2021.

What do you make of Mark Hunt’s challenge?

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