Mark Hunt says his legal battles with the UFC aren’t over.
According to ex-UFC heavyweight Hunt (13-14-1), he’s in the midst of organizing another lawsuit against his former employer. A backer of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, a set of federal regulations that apply to the sport of boxing, Hunt is working to see similar legislation be implemented in MMA.
“Things will change when you bring the Ali Act in,” Hunt recently told Duello Channel. “It totally changes things around. I’m with these guys that are part of this lawsuit action. Once this comes, it’ll change the whole landscape of fighting. The fighters get paid more money, which is better for the employees. They’ll start living properly.
“Why do you make it to the top of the world in fighting? So you get paid well. Right now, these guys aren’t getting paid well. They’re getting ripped off.”
Hunt sounded off on a number of different gripes he has with the UFC but did not specify the specific grounds on which he’s basing his lawsuit. He also took aim at UFC president Dana White, hurling insults and expletives all the while.
“I know how they do it,” Hunt said. “That’s why we’re in a couple of these lawsuits. It’s a sad thing to see these fighters coming through – young fighters thinking they can get some good money. They just fall to the side like the rest of them. When you get the champions asking for more money, you know there’s something wrong. When a guy like Stipe (Miocic) or the other champions ask for more money – he’s the champion of this company. Why is he asking for more money? Something to think about.
“These bosses and guys that own the company, these (expletive) like Dana will say all this … ‘We’ve got to do this and that. All these things will work out.’ At the end of the day, he’s just a grub. He’s a thieving little grub. That’s all he is.”
Be the best boxer then. Be the best golfer. You chose a skill knowing the pay. It sucks yes but it’s simple business.
so you feel mma should not adopt the ali act ?
As a fan many people feel we are getting the best consumable product at the moment. The same way many fans feel that they do not get the best product from boxing.
The UFC could just fighters as employees and create a union for their own organization which would effectively kill the Ali act and give them even more control over the MMA landscape. They will cut half the roster and use that money to increase the wages and benefits of the remaining roster. The rest of the roster like the 7-0 regional guys will get fucked and have to go back to whatever mma org they fought for previously making peanuts.
I'm all for the Ali act in the sense that fighters should be able to fight in any organization they want to but the UFC effectively has a monopoly right now so how much different would it be if Conor could fight for Bellator if he wanted to? Not much.
For intents and purposes, the Ali act absolutely should include MMA fighters IMO.
It’s weird and not helpful that a guy who has a losing MMA record, all due respect to Hunto, is the one to fight this battle
If Jon Jones, Conor, Cormier or Khabib took this route, they’d get somewhere. But they never will, because the top fighters, contrary to what Mark says, get payed very very well
I'm all for the Ali act in the sense that fighters should be able to fight in any organization they want to but the UFC effectively has a monopoly right now so how much different would it be if Conor could fight for Bellator if he wanted to? Not much.
For intents and purposes, the Ali act absolutely should include MMA fighters IMO.
What do you mean by fighters being able to fight in any organization?
If a fighter signs a contract, they're agreeing to it. End of story. Same with pay. Don't like the pay? Don't sign the contract.
Hunt who made the 25 top earners in ufc is doing a noble deed. Mma fighters should be the highest earning athletes on the planet.
Not sure if serious, but no they shouldn’t
Every top male Tennis player has spent as long playing their sport in 2-3 matches, than an MMA fighter spends in the cage in an entire career. So no, they don’t deserve the same revenue as many other top sports, and that’s just one of the reasons they don’t
I'm all for the Ali act in the sense that fighters should be able to fight in any organization they want to but the UFC effectively has a monopoly right now so how much different would it be if Conor could fight for Bellator if he wanted to? Not much.
For intents and purposes, the Ali act absolutely should include MMA fighters IMO.
What do you mean by fighters being able to fight in any organization?
If a fighter signs a contract, they're agreeing to it. End of story. Same with pay. Don't like the pay? Don't sign the contract.
Hunt was done dirty in the UFC. He deserves a settlement at a minimum. That said the UFC will fight this tooth and nail to avoid precedent or they will be paying Bisping and every other clean fighter that got smashed by a proven juicer millions of dollars