Mark Hunt might not be fighting in the cage anymore, but he still fights for what he believes is right outside of it. “The Super Samoan” finds himself having that as a common trait with the current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou.
Ngannou’s title reign got off to a less than perfect start as talk of a super fight with Jon Jones began in the wake of his crowning moment in March 2021. Quickly dissolving as both sides wanted to be paid the proper amount for a fight of that magnitude, it led UFC President Dana White to criticize Ngannou’s management.
Let’s just say Hunt was on “The Predator’s” side when catching word of his $600,000 payout from his UFC 270 title defense against Ciryl Gane.
“Of course, he should look at his other options,” Hunt told Submission Radio. “To be the man in MMA getting paid $500,000-$600,000 is a fricking joke. I got paid $950K six years ago and I never had the belt. So right there goes to show you how much these guys are getting exploited.”
Ngannou’s win over Gane didn’t come without adversity prior to and during the fight. The champion revealed post-fight that he went into the contest with a torn MCL and damaged ACL in one of his knees. He now is expecting to go under the knife in March which will leave him sidelined for an unknown period of time.
Speaking to the media after the win, Ngannou shared that he’s also under the impression that his UFC contract expires in December.
“Ngannou, yeah, sit out. Get your money’s worth,” Hunt said. “One injury like this knee injury could mean you’re done. Get what you’re supposed to be worth. If an elite UFC fighter in the world is getting $500,000 to $600,000 then how much are the others getting? When you’re the top five or the top 10 you’re supposed to be getting hundreds of thousands, millions, if you’re the champ.”
Hunt, 47, has famously gone on record to fight exploitation of his own. That came in the form of his short-notice UFC 200 meeting with Brock Lesnar who exited retirement and tested positive for banned substances before and after the fight.
The South Auckland, New Zealand native fought five more times under the UFC banner following UFC 200. He would close out his run with the company in 2018 after going 8-8-1 (1 NC) in the octagon (13-14-1, 1 NC overall).