Mark Hunt built a career on fearless aggression inside the UFC octagon, but the ‘Super Samoan’ is now facing a legal fight where he claims his words, not his fists, have been weaponized against him. The UFC heavyweight legend was arrested on Tuesday at his New South Wales home in Australia by law enforcement officials for alleged domestic violence against a female family member. He was charged with one count of ‘stalking or intimidation with intent to cause physical harm.’
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The next day, on April 15, the UFC veteran was presented in Ballina Local Court, where the judge heard his plea for bail. What made matters worse for the 52-year-old was the alleged text he sent to the family member.
“I am just going to m–der you in the end anyway,” the message read.
Despite prosecutors arguing against it, Judge Lisa Viney granted bail to Hunt on the strict condition that he’d return to his home in Cobbity and have no further contact with the complainant. Days after returning home, Mark Hunt has now broken his silence on his arrest with a video, which he shared on his X account. In the clip, he claimed he was being treated unfairly.
“Needed to speak on my domestic violence charges as a lot of this hate towards me,” he captioned the clip on X. “Everyone makes mistakes, and in every partnership, people argue. You take your partner with all their faults or walk away; you don’t put them in jail or keep a record and weaponize it against them.”
Surprisingly, the former UFC star referred to the female family member in the clip as his partner. In the clip, Hunt claimed he had a heated argument with his partner about his lawsuit with the UFC. But he stressed that he never put his hands on anyone and refuted the allegations of physical violence.
“I wanna speak on this domestic violence s— they’ve put on me,” Hunt said. “It’s kinda sad because, in the situation, there was clearly no violence. We got into a heated argument about a filing in a lawsuit we are doing, like the other times we have argued about it. We argue about it, we go away, sort it out, fix it, and carry on.
“Every couple argues. Everyone has the same issues, but you shouldn’t record or take a record of your partner when they’re angry. It’s frustration. Of course, it’s frustration. So long as that person doesn’t touch you, put a finger on you, and that’s what’s happened here. Not a person was hurt. I didn’t lay a hand on anybody. I just got frustrated. We got into a heated argument, and I left.”
“Yeah, people have made mistakes. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. No one’s perfect. No one’s Jesus,” he continued. “What’s sad here is [that] not many people make a record about what’s happened. That’s why I feel kind of sad about it. A lot of these texts are being used retroactively.
“They aren’t even part of what happened here a couple [of] days ago. They’re just being brought up from the past of someone making a tab.”
Mark Hunt will likely plead guilty to charges
Following the court appearance, Hunt’s attorney revealed that he is most likely going to plead guilty to the charges against him. Currently, the 52-year-old is out on bail. His next court hearing is on April 30th, where the court will also consider an application for an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO). The order is intended to provide ongoing legal protection for the complainant.
Hunt joined the UFC back in 2010 and retired from the sport in 2018 after three back-to-back losses. He managed to put together a record of 8-8-1 in the promotion, having faced some of the toughest opponents UFC had to offer. It included the likes of Stipe Miocic, Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, and Fabricio Werdum.
Despite his run in the UFC, he is known for his lawsuit against the UFC after his 2016 fight against Brock Lesnar. The latter had tested positive for a PED, and Hunt claimed the promotion let the fight happen anyway. This, according to Hunt, put his life in danger.
In April last year, a three-judge panel from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Judge Jennifer Dorsey’s ruling against Mark Hunt from 2023, finding that he had not provided sufficient evidence of clear damages, from 2023, effectively ending Hunt’s long-running legal battle against the UFC, Dana White, and Brock Lesnar.
Mark Hunt appears to be in hot water at the moment. His upcoming court date on April 30 will be critical in determining the legal consequences for the embattled former UFC star.
