Former UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt has hit out on the pay provided by the combined martial arts promotion, saying its title holders are “world champions of nothing”.
Hunt competed as a UFC heavyweight between 2010 and 2018, and the 47-year-old final week challenged the corporate’s president Dana White to a combat amid a near-$400,000 authorized dispute.
The New Zealander has been ordered by the US District Courtroom to pay the corporate $388,235 in authorized charges and prices, per courtroom paperwork not too long ago made public from a March 2021 ruling. Hunt then took to social media to disclaim the suggestion that he must pay the price, earlier than difficult White and former UFC executives Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta to a combat.
Now, Hunt has slammed the promotion’s wage choices. Talking on The MMA Hour, Hunt stated: “I don’t like watching UFC or preventing normally, as a result of I do know what it’s like on the prime. I do know what they’re preventing for, which is nothing. They’re preventing for nothing.
“‘I’m the world champion.’ Of what? Clarify to me what you’re the world champion of.
“When you’re the world champion of boxing, there’s actuality. You will have made it to the highest, you don’t have to fret about cash, don’t fear about nothing. There’s the aim to succeed in, Mount Everest.
“However within the UFC, you make it to the highest, what do you get? Have a look at the champions. Don’t take a look at what I’m saying, take a look at the champions within the sport. What have they received? They’re sitting there complaining about cash. You’re the world champion of nothing.”
Hunt added that he can not endorse younger fighters pursuing a profession in MMA.
“I can’t inform fighters to hitch the trigger, as a result of they’ve all received payments and mortgages to pay,” he stated. “Get a job, get a standard job, man. Be like everybody else.
“The price is the fee. The price has been my coronary heart, the fee has been my love for the game, the time away from my youngsters chasing a trigger – a belt that I believed was worthy. It’s unfit of my time or anybody’s time. It’s unfit to combat for.
“It’s unfit for my blood, it’s unfit of anybody’s blood to be trustworthy, as a result of on the finish of the day… take a look at the opposite examples, take a look at the ex-fighters paying for it, having to do GoFundMe pages to pay for accidents attributable to work.”
The New Zealander additionally took intention at White once more, accusing the UFC president of stealing from fighters.
“That fool Dana speaking about: ‘We constructed this firm.’ Yeah, you constructed the UFC; the game, you’ve stolen from. You’ve stolen from the game, from all of the fighters. That’s the distinction. There would have been one other firm that introduced MMA as much as the place it’s, as a result of it’s the final in preventing fight. The issue is that they’ve constructed the UFC up, however they’ve stolen from the game.”
Hunt went on to induce fighters to come back collectively and collectively name for higher pay.
“The ability that each one the fighters have, it may’t be overwhelmed. If all of the fighters received collectively and stated, ‘I don’t wish to combat for this firm no extra,’ there’s no UFC.
“I’ve stated this a few years in the past, this firm thinks it’s received all the ability and that’s what all these fighters have been led to consider. But when these fighters realised that they’ve all the ability and all of them simply must say, ‘No, I would like 50/50 for pay-per-views, I would like the Ali act, and I would like all these items,’ then issues will change right away – as a result of with out these fighters, there’s no UFC.”
Kaynak: briturkish.com
