Mark Hunt, a retired MMA fighter, claimed on The MMA Hour that he was recently offered a seven-figure sum to deliberately lose a fight, an offer he declined despite financial difficulties.
Mark Hunt’s fighting career has been a wild ride. Recently, he found himself in a situation that left him stunned.
He was planning a comeback after a brief retirement. During a chat on The MMA Hour, he dropped a bombshell. Hunt claimed he’d been propositioned to throw a fight for a hefty sum. The offer? A cool seven figures.
But Hunt didn’t bite. The huge dollar amount didn’t sway him.
Hunt’s always been a straight shooter. “If things aren’t right, they aren’t right,” he stated. He was offered millions to take a dive in a fight in Australia. His response? “Are you serious?”
Hunt turned down the offer. It wasn’t about the money for him. He was going through a tough time with a separation, and the cash would’ve helped. But it wasn’t about the money. It wasn’t in his character. He’d rather lose or die fighting than take a dive.
Hunt, now 49, has had a sporadic career since leaving the UFC in 2018. He’s boxed twice, most recently scoring a TKO against Sonny Bill Williams in 2022. This victory was followed by Hunt’s retirement announcement.
Hunt’s 24-year career in combat sports has been diverse. He’s boxed, kickboxed, and had memorable stints in MMA with the UFC and PRIDE. He even had a shot at the UFC’s heavyweight division interim belt. But he’d never been asked to throw a fight before.
The offer blew his mind. “It blew my f****** head right off my f****** shoulders,” he said. He was shocked and left it in the past. But it was a reality he hadn’t faced until then.
Hunt didn’t reveal where this rigged fight was supposed to happen or who made the offer. But he’s no stranger to the fight game’s dark side.
“The Super Samoan” had a nasty legal battle with the UFC. He sued them in 2017, alleging collusion to allow Brock Lesnar to fight him while on performance-enhancing drugs. The case was dismissed in federal court last September.
Hunt doesn’t regret taking on the UFC. But does he worry about being blacklisted from the MMA industry?
“I don’t know,” he said. He believes he did the right thing. He’s not scared, except of God. He believes in standing up for what’s right. All he wants is a level playing field.