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- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
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- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
Opinion: The Oceania Super Businessman
- Updated: July 28, 2016
Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.*** By now, I’m sure you’ve seen Mark Hunt’s harsh words for the UFC. After all, not too many folks have the gumption to go on Ariel Helwani’s “MMA Hour” and say “F— your s— company” and call the promotion “scummy c—-” to boot. These sorts of comments gain, shall we say, traction. It’s been compelling to watch the evolution of Hunt’s thoughts on performance enhancing drugs in combat sports. Less than three years ago, he was mildly surprised but largely indifferent to being awarded $50,000 in bonus money from opponent Antonio Silva after their epic five-round brawl to a draw in Brisbane, Australia, when “Bigfoot”, who was on UFC-approved testosterone replacement therapy, tested outside the allowable range of testosterone-to-epitestosterone. By the time he fought Frank Mir, another former TRT user, earlier this year, Hunt was calling former TRT’er “bums” and that was before Mir tested positive for oral turinabol metabolites after their fight. And now, here we are still wading through the post-UFC 200 wasteland, with Hunt calling the UFC corrupt, accusing them of supporting Lesnar’s use of estrogen blockers, threatening to sue the company if they don’t clean the sport up even further, talking about the need for a union and doing so in the most provocative language possible. “People are scared for years because the company is going to get them. Well, f— the company. They don’t give a s— about you or anyone else,” Hunt continued in his Monday tirade. “If I walk away now, I don’t care. I walk away knowing that I haven’t cheated to get in this spot.” What’s intriguing about Hunt’s change of heart on all matters PED, though, is the motivation behind it. Undoubtedly, there is a certain kind of worldview and chip on the shoulder that is developed and fortified by a fighter facing and often losing to athletes linked to PED use, i.e. Michael Bisping and Tim Kennedy’s vehement public anti-doping stances. However, Hunt couches his current outrage as if he’s only recently started facing opponents on steroids, as if he didn’t make his star in K-1, where Bob Sapp was the company’s greatest star ever and go on to fight in Pride, a promotion that despite its greatness and historical importance to MMA is also synonymous with rampant and encouraged PED use. No, what’s different now is that there’s money involved. “You’re not giving no penalties …
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