Mark Hunt (again) loses in court to UFC; White responds

After six years in federal court, it appears Mark Hunt’s legal fight with the UFC, Dana White and Brock Lesnar is over for good.

On Tuesday, a federal judge in Nevada struck down the rest of Hunt’s case against his former promoter, which was revived in 2021 when an appeals court reversed previous dismissals of battery, fraud and conspiracy claims against the UFC, White and Lesnar in connection with Hunt’s ill-fated fight against the WWE star on July 9, 2016.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey found Hunt failed to prove the trio knowingly misled him that Lesnar would not use performance-enhancing drugs in connection with their UFC 200 bout and conspired to book it despite previous knowledge that Lesnar was doping.

“In sum, each of Hunt’s fraud theories requires far too many inferential leaps and ignores too much contrary evidence for a jury to reasonably find in his favor, particularly by clear and convincing evidence,” wrote Dorsey in a 27-page opinion, which was first reported by Conduct Detrimental writer Jason Morrin.

Hunt’s attorneys and the UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. White later addressed the news when asked after Tuesday’s Dana White Contender Series filming.

“Listen, Mark Hunt has lost so many lawsuits against us, it’s insane,” White said. “He’s a bit of a delusional guy. He’s going to have to pay some legal fees.”

Hunt sued the UFC, White and Lesnar in 2017, alleging racketeering, fraud and breach of contract, among other claims. Judge Dorsey ruled against Hunt in two separate rulings, dismissing all of his claims before the appeals court reversal.

“I tried to make things even on the battle field of MMA, but again, the cheating company, Dana White, UFC with all its billions, they ripped everyone off win again,” Hunt said after a 2019 ruling. “Someone will die against a steroid-using cheater, and your s*** ripoff company will be at fault, UFC.”

Lesnar, a former UFC heavyweight champion, returned to the UFC from the WWE for the UFC 200 fight and defeated Hunt via unanimous decision. Beforehand, he was given an exemption from a four-month drug testing window required of returning fighters. After the fight, he tested positive for a banned substance and was later suspended for one year by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and the Nevada Athletic Commission, which regulated the 2016 bout; his win was also overturned to a no-contest.

Hunt in 2018 finished his UFC contract on a three-fight skid as his legal fight with the promotion played out in court. In a previous interview, he stated that he believed he had been “blacklisted” from other promoters for taking the UFC to court. In 2020 and 2022, he returned to the boxing ring for a pair of fights.

“I’m done fighting,” Hunt said in 2022. “I think I lost the passion a long time ago when I filed this lawsuit against the UFC. They took that passion away from me, to be honest. The only fight I’ve had since I left the UFC was a boxing match, [and] I couldn’t get another match anywhere. I don’t think any company would pick me up because of this lawsuit, to be honest.”