Mark Hunt criticizes Brock Lesnar suspensions, threatens lawsuits for opponents who dope

UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt said financial concerns forced him to take a rematch with Alistair Overeem at UFC 209.

After he failed to win his release from contract in the wake of a UFC 200 drug scandal, Hunt said he had no other choice but to fight.

“I’m not young, I’m 42 years old,” Hunt told Stuff.co.nz, a New Zealand-based news website. “In six months I’ve already missed out on a couple of fights; I’ve already missed out on a couple million dollars.”

UFC 209 takes place March 4 at T-Mobile Arena, with Overeem vs. Hunt 2 serving on the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Hunt’s (12-10-1 MMA, 7-4-1 UFC) shift doesn’t mean he’s giving up his fight against doping, however. In a novel strategy, Hunt has threatened direct legal action against Overeem (41-15 MMA, 6-4 UFC) – and any future opponent – that violates anti-doping rules.

“Every fighter I fight, if he gets caught through the process then I’ll sue him personally,” Hunt said. “If I don’t get help from the company, I’ll do it myself.”

So far, Hunt hasn’t had much success in getting the UFC to meet his demands. After it was revealed that Brock Lesnar fought him at UFC 200 with a banned estrogen blocker in his system, he demanded the promotion pay him for putting him in danger. He also sought a modification to his contract that would award him an opponent’s purse in the event of an anti-doping violation.

UFC anti-doping partner USADA and the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which regulated UFC 200, eventually suspended Lesnar for one year, fined him $250,000, or 10 percent of his $2.5 million purse, and overturned a unanimous decision win to a no contest. But Hunt was not impressed.

“I didn’t even think the (NSAC) penalty was harsh enough,” he said. “He got a $250,000 fine, but he made about $2 million bucks so how did it actually affect him?

“(Dopers should be struck from the records and taken everything off them. They don’t deserve to get a cent. This sport is already harsh enough as it is. When you add in steroid use it makes it even worse.”

While he reportedly addressed his ongoing concerns with UFC executives, he still sat on the sidelines, evaluating potential legal action after hiring a lawyer.

“At the end of the day I’ve stuck to my word,” Hunt said. “I’ve got no option. I’m in a contract that I can’t get out of. All the doors I’ve gone through are closed, and it’s not like I can go and work somewhere else. Ages ago I was gladly ready to walk away and work somewhere else, but they wouldn’t allow it.

“Think it from my position, I had no other option. I can’t work anywhere else so what am I supposed to do – let my family starve?”

The bout puts Hunt in an uncomfortable place given Overeem’s history with banned substances. He was famously pulled from a title fight with now-former champ Junior Dos Santos in 2012 at UFC 146 when he failed a pre-fight drug test.

According to the report, Hunt reached out to Overeem about the clause, but didn’t hear back.

The No. 11 ranked fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, Hunt won his previous two bouts in the octagon, knocking out ex-champ Frank Mir and Antonio Silva. Overeem, the No. 6 fighter, returns after getting knocked out by champ Stipe Miocic this past September at UFC 203.

The pair originally met in 2008 under the now-defunct DREAM banner, with Overeem winning via first-round submission.

For more on UFC 209, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.