UFC Sydney: Mark Hunt vs Dana White, PlayersVoice new column sees heavyweight renew attack

UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt. Photo / Jason Oxenham.

Mark Hunt has taken aim at Dana White in another first-person column, claiming his axing from UFC Fight Night Sydney was baseless and powered by a personal agenda.

Hunt was removed from the card after a column with PlayersVoice that seemed to indicate serious health problems from fighting. UFC president White said he would not fight in the promotion again until he had travelled to Las Vegas for thorough medical testing.

"This is a joke. An absolutely friggin' joke," Hunt wrote in his new PlayersVoice piece.
"Dana White obviously has it in for me and he's looking for anything he can - no matter how small or bulls**t or trivial - as an excuse to push me out of the UFC."

Hunt claimed his outspoken campaign against PED cheats, which culminated in a lawsuit against the UFC and White after opponent Brock Lesnar tested positive at UFC 200, was the true reason he had been sidelined.

The 43-year-old heavyweight claimed he had already passed two health checks ahead of UFC Sydney, including one with a neurosurgeon, and that comments from his first column about memory loss and slurring words had been taken out of context.

"Anyone who knows me knows how sharp my mind is. I speak at a thousand miles an hour. I'll hold a discussion or a debate with anyone. I've built a career in one of the toughest, most ruthless industries in the world. You can't do that unless you're completely with it," he wrote.

"Here's something else I wrote in the article: '...my mind is still here. I've still got my senses about me.' It's right there in the third paragraph.

"Did they mention that in their statements to the media about why I was being pulled out of UFC Sydney?

"No. Of course they f***ing didn't and I'm still waiting for the answer myself ... ? There is no legitimate reason.

"Let's call this out for what it really is: Dana hitting back at me for suing the UFC over the PED issue."

Hunt - who has three fights remaining on his UFC contract, at an appearance fee of US$750,000 per fight - said he had not been contacted by anyone at the UFC before or after his axing.

The Sydney-based New Zealander said he had already spent $100,000 on a training camp and with appearance and sponsorship fees, the axing would cost him close to $1 million.

Hunt was meant to fight Marcin Tybura in the main event of the November 19 card at Qudos Bank Arena but was replaced by former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum.