UFC heavyweight fighter Mark Hunt has filed a civil lawsuit against the UFC, UFC President Dana White and his opponent from UFC 200, Brock Lesner. The suit alleges that the defendants "affirmatively circumvented and obstructed fair competition for their own benefit". It also accuses the parties of fraud and racketeering, with Hunt seeking financial compensation for damages to his brand.
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Hunt confirmed on his official website that he is suing the UFC for $2.5 million and along with that, the entire money that Lesner received for their heavyweight bout at UFC 200. Lesner had defeated Hunt at UFC 200 but the match was overturned to a no-contest after Lesner tested positive for the anti-estrogen agent clomiphene in both an in-competition and out-of-competition drug screening.
Despite Lesner being fined $250,000 for his failed drug test, Hunt was disappointed with the fact that he received a major portion of his salary. Hunt suggested that if a fighter fails a drug test they should be fined their entire purse.
"I want the UFC to understand it's not OK to keep doing what they're doing. They're allowing guys to do this. They had a chance to take all the money from this guy, because he's a cheater, and they didn't".
"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 need to be held accountable for this," ESPN quoted Hunt as saying.
Hunt's attorney, Christina Denning, met with UFC officials before officially filing the lawsuit so that they could discuss his demands regarding future doping violations, with the UFC declining to penalise Lesner beyond what's sanctioned by the NSAC.
"Once we found out the penalty was only 10 percent of his purse, we went back to the UFC and offered to accept [Lesnar's] purse amount, less than the $250,000 penalty. We also wanted them to accept the clause moving forward. Mark says the penalties aren't harsh enough. What's interesting is that the penalties are harsh enough on paper, they're just not being enforced by the UFC," Denning was quoted as saying.
Since fighting Lesner, Hunt has faced two fighters — Antonio Silva and Frank Mir — who have later been accused of doping allegations. Since UFC 200, he has turned down two fights as the UFC could not meet his demands. But he could not do that anymore, and the New Zealander is set to take on Alistair Overeem at UFC 209.
