Mark Hunt has been dealt another legal blow, as his bid to hold the UFC and former opponent Brock Lesnar accountable for a doping violation appears to have been grounded.
First reported by Courthouse News Service, The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled that Hunt’s lawsuit against the promotion and fighter could not continue, upholding a ruling by a lower court — though interestingly enough, the appeals court cited separate logic from the original court for their finding.
Hunt, who represented himself through much of the legal process, appears to have failed to prove that he suffered any actual damages from the allegations, which center on his fight against Brock Lesnar at UFC 200 in 2016. Lesnar was rushed back into the USADA doping pool ahead of the event, coming out of retirement, and findings showing he had failed a drug test for clomiphene on June 28 were not returned until after the fight on July 9 of that year.
Lesnar also failed his in-competition drug test on July 9, 2016.
In their finding, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals wrote that “Unfortunately, Hunt does not point to any evidence in the record of any physical, emotional, economic, or reputational damage or harm attributable to Defendants-Appellees’ conduct.”
“Indeed, while maintaining that such evidence does in fact exist, Hunt acknowledged both in his reply brief and at argument that evidence of damages has not yet been ‘adequately presented.’ At the summary judgment stage, the nonmoving party must present evidence showing there is a genuine issue of material fact for trial.”
The UFC has not commented publicly on the ruling, but it may have put Mark Hunt’s legal battle to rest for good.
