What’s the story?
Brock Lesnar made his MMA comeback in July 2016 at UFC 200. Mark Hunt, who faced Lesnar on his return to the Octagon, has apparently filed a lawsuit against him, UFC president Dana White and UFC’s parent company at the time Zuffa LLC.
According to Mmafighting.com, the lawsuit was first reported by ESPN. They also reported that the lawsuit alleges racketeering, fraud, negligence and breach of contract among eight charges levied by Hunt against the UFC, White and Lesnar. Hunt’s attorney confirmed the validity of the lawsuit and was quoted stating the following:
“What message is that sending to the boys and girls who want to be a fighter someday? The message is, 'You just have to cheat like this and it's OK.' In society, if you commit a crime, you pay. Why is it different in MMA? It's hurt the business, so it's even worse. They (UFC) need to be held accountable for this.”
In case you didn’t know...
Lesnar earlier defeated Hunt via unanimous decision at UFC 200. However, the fight was later overturned into a no contest as the former Heavyweight Champion tested positive for a banned substance. Lesnar was also suspended for a year by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The heart of the matter
After the revelation that Lesnar had tested positive for banned substances, the “Super Samoan” had asked for a percentage of Lesnar’s earnings from the event. However, the UFC declined his requests for any such compensation.
In November 2016, Hunt had claimed that he might take legal action against the WWE Superstar and the UFC. Hunt has proven that he is a man of his word by doing so.
What’s next?
Hunt had previously declined three fight offers from the UFC, following UFC 200. However, he has now agreed to fight at UFC 209. He is expected to face another fighter with past doping history, Alistair Overeem.
No official statements have been released by UFC or by UFC president Dana White. Lesnar or his team also have not released any official statements either regarding these new-found legal troubles.
Sportskeeda’s take
In the ever-developing world of MMA, all fighters should be protected from drug-enhanced fighters. Using banned substances cannot be justified by any fighter. Hunt should have been awarded some amount of Lesnar’s earnings from UFC 200 as compensation.
Provisions should be included in the contracts of all fighters, that extra measures will be taken against any opponent who is found guilty of doping.
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