A top New Zealand heavyweight fighter has been released on bail in Australia after being charged with a domestic violence offence.
Police were called to a property in New South Wales’ Northern Rivers region on Tuesday night following reports of an alleged domestic violence incident.
They arrested Mark Hunt,52, a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight known as “the Super Samoan” at the address, taking him into custody overnight at Ballina Police Station.
Hunt appeared in Ballina Local Court yesterday to face a charge of one count of stalking or intimidation with intent to cause physical harm.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, police alleged in court that Hunt was helping the woman with a task when he started behaving in an “intimidating and berating manner” that caused “fear and distress” for her and another witness, prompting police to be contacted.
The court was also told Hunt had allegedly sent a death threat to the woman in a text, allegedly writing: “I’m just going to murder you in the end anyway.”
Ex-UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt is facing a charge of stalking or intimidation with intent to cause physical harm in New South Wales. Photo / Andrew Cornaga, Photosport
The defence disputed Hunt had sent this text, and he has not faced any additional charges related to it.
Hunt was refused bail before yesterday’s court appearance, with the police prosecutor arguing his wrestling history displayed an added risk to the woman involved and wider community, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.
However, Hunt’s attorney argued his extensive sports career was not relevant to the alleged offending, and that Hunt was likely to plead guilty to the charge.
The Auckland-born sportsman was granted bail by Judge Lisa Viney under conditions he returned to his rural Sydney address and refrained from contacting the alleged victim.
He is expected to return to Ballina Local Court on April 30, where the case will be heard together with an Apprehended Violence Order application for the woman’s safety.
Hunt began his combat sports career in the late 1990s, training in a local Muay Thai gym before storming the kickboxing world to win the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix.
He moved into MMA in 2004, debuting for Pride FC and later joining the UFC where he spent eight years as a top-10 heavyweight contender.
Having left the UFC in 2018 over a dispute with the organisation, Hunt returned to the ring in 2022 for a high-profile boxing match in Sydney, famously handing Sonny Bill Williams the first loss of his professional career.
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