Mark Hunt is back in the news for the wrong reason.
According to a report first published by The Sydney Morning Herald and later picked up more widely, the former UFC heavyweight and PRIDE veteran was arrested Tuesday evening in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales after an alleged domestic incident. Hunt, 52, was later charged with stalking or intimidation with intent to cause physical harm and was initially refused immediate bail. The case adds another legal chapter to Hunt’s post-fighting life, years after his final appeal loss against Dana White and Brock Lesnar over the fallout from UFC 200.
The reporting says prosecutors told the court the alleged victim had been helping Hunt with an unspecified task when he began acting in an “intimidating and berating manner causing fear and distress for the woman and a witness.” During the bail hearing, a text message attributed to Hunt was also read in court and said, “I’m just going to murder you in the end anyway.”
Watch a past Mark Hunt interview below:
Mark Hunt granted bail and due back in court on April 30
According to that same reporting, prosecutors also argued Hunt’s combat sports background made him a greater risk to the alleged victim and the wider community. Hunt was later granted bail on the condition that he leave the area where the alleged incident took place and return to his official residence in southwest Sydney. He is scheduled to appear in court again on April 30. The reporting also said Hunt’s defense attorney indicated the retired fighter would be pleading guilty to the charge.
Hunt fought in the UFC from 2010 through 2018 and went 8-8-1 with the promotion. His biggest UFC storyline remains the Brock Lesnar fight at UFC 200, a result later changed to a no contest after Lesnar failed a drug test. He has not competed since beating Sonny Bill Williams in boxing in 2022.
