Mark Hunt has had a contentious relationship with the UFC for much of his time with the organisation and that has continued since he fought his last fight under their banner in December 2018.

Hunt is currently in the grips of a lawsuit with the UFC and is keen to see the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, a series of right afforded to boxers, transplanted to mixed martial arts — and he says that when this legislation is ushered in, it will be transformative for fighters’ rights.

“Things will change when you bring the Ali Act in,” Hunt said to Duello Channel. “It totally changes things around. I’m with these guys that are part of this lawsuit class 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.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

I have never been one to celebrate birthdays but it’s my 46th birthday today and a friend of mine told me this and I have never heard this before.and it totally made sense. At the end of the day,not the start.the quality of your life will depend on one thing and one thing only,and that is how u deal with temptation.and u will have all sorts of different temptations at different stages of your life till the day u die. Thanking u all for the birthday wishes especially as we are moving into some really trying times in all of our lives.💓💓💓💓💓to each and everyone of u.

A post shared by The Super Samoan (@markhuntfighter) on Mar 22, 2020 at 5:12pm PDT

Hunt has been a vocal opponent of the UFC since Brock Lesnar failed a drug test following their fight at UFC 200 and has frequently taken aim at Dana White in the media despite representing the organisation a further five times after the Lesnar bout.

“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.

“Most of the fighters are just scared to talk about it,” Hunt said. “A lot of the fighters are scared to speak up about it. You’re actually fighters not just in the octagon, but everywhere. To get guys like this to come around to kiss-ass these (expletive) guys like Dana White, it’s a joke. He’s just a joke. He’s an idiot.”

Now 46, Hunt says that he isn’t hanging up his gloves anytime soon — and is planning for a further six fights before finally giving in to Father Time.

“I’m talking about a boxing fight with some people now, but I want to fight six more times,” Hunt said. “I want to finish my career, but I have to pay for this lawsuit against the UFC. I’ve got to finish this. I want to fight six more times and be happy with it. I’ve been free for two-and-a-half years. I’ve just been doing business and stuff and organising this lawsuit against this company.”