What’s the story?
UFC heavyweight Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt has been making headlines these days with his outside the octagon feud with Brock Lesnar and the UFC. There has been a lot of drama in recent days with Hunt agreeing to fight at UFC 209 but also later suing the UFC.
Now there is a new twist in the tale, as it’s being reported that Hunt is uncertain about his future and is also not sure about the fight at UFC 209 in march.
According to Newshub.com, he recently gave an interview given to RadioLive. He reportedly claimed that he is not sure if the fight against Alistair Overeem at UFC 209 will take place or not. Here is a partial quote from his recent interview:
“Who knows if this fight against Alistair goes ahead, Who knows these days with all these cheating monkeys. To be honest I was supposed to fight in Melbourne last year, and turned down a fight with Josh Barnett who was a known doper and then guy was busted for steroids two days later.”
In case you didn’t know...
Mark Hunt last fought and lost to Brock Lesnar at UFC 200. However, Lesnar later tested positive for a banned substance. The result of the fight was thus overturned to a no-contest. Hunt had asked the UFC for some compensation but his request was declined. Since then the battle lines had been drawn between the UFC and the Samoan. The heavyweight also recently filed a lawsuit against UFC and Brock Lesnar.
The heart of the matter
The 42 year old New Zealand native has often criticized UFC president Dana White for his lackadaisical stance and money-minded approach towards doping. The UFC president's approach towards doping is the reason which has prompted the “Super Samoan” to resort to these strong-worded statements.
What next?
Hunt is currently scheduled to fight Alistair “The Reem” Overeem at UFC 209 and it should be noted that the Dutchman has a tainted doping history. Thus, the 42 year old is in doubt whether the fight will happen or not. He claims that if Overeem too tests positive, he will pull out of the fight.
He also claims that this might be the last fight of his MMA career.
Sportskeeda’s take
All fighters should be protected against drug-enhanced fighters. Fighters whose opponents test positive for banned substances should also be given some compensation. It’s highly unfortunate to see a legend of the sport like Hunt facing such dilemma.
He has had a great career and surely has a few more good fights left in him. It would be a huge loss if he decides to call it a day because of these controversies. We hope that he sorts out all these issues with the UFC and we see him fight again.
