Former UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt, whose more recent battles have been against the UFC rather than inside the octagon, has been arrested over an alleged domestic violence incident that included a reported death threat.
Hunt, 52, was in court on Wednesday facing one count of stalking or intimidation with intent to cause physical harm. The Sydney Morning Herald reported the news.
According to that same report, the female complainant was also allegedly sent a death threat via text.
Hunt was arrested on Tuesday at a home where he is accused of threatening a family member. According to police, while assisting the family member at the property in question, he became aggressive, acting in an “intimidating and berating manner,” causing “fear and distress” for the complainant, all in view of a witness.
Also according to police, Hunt had previously sent the woman a text that read “I’m just going to murder you in the end anyway.”
Hunt’s attorney disputed that the text had ever been sent by him, and according to the Herald, he is not facing any charges over it.
That said, it’s not a good look for Hunt, who has been battling the UFC over the fallout from UFC 200, where he was initially defeated by Brock Lesnar. After Lesnar tested positive for a banned substance, the result was overturned to a No Contest. Hunt, however, sued the promotion, alleging a conspiracy as Lesnar had the usual six-month drug testing window waived by the promotion and it’s then anti-doping partner, USADA.
Hunt’s allegation contended that Dana White and the UFC knowingly booked him against an opponent who was doping. The lawsuit was dismissed for what appeared to be the final time last year. More recently however, Hunt had been teasing yet more legal action.
In his heyday, Hunt was a fan-favorite heavyweight who competed for PRIDE and the UFC. He notoriously refused to be bought out of his contract when the UFC purchased their Japanese rival, and bounced back from a six-fight skid with four straight victories inside the octagon from 2011 to 2013. In 2014, he faced Fabricio Werdum for an interim heavyweight title.
Hunt parted ways with the UFC in 2018, shifting to boxing. He split a pair of fights in 2020 and 2022, with a win over Sonny Bill Williams closing out his career.
