Mark Hunt has publicly responded after his arrest in Sydney, saying the dispute at the center of the case never became physical and insisting no one was hurt.
The former UFC heavyweight, now 52, was arrested on April 15 and later released on bail after being charged with one count of stalking or intimidation with intent to cause physical harm. Court reporting also alleged that Hunt sent a threatening text to the woman involved. Hunt answered the allegations in videos posted to social media, where he said the incident grew out of an argument with his partner over the lawsuit that has hung over much of his post-UFC life.
Here is Hunt’s first video response:
“I want to speak on this domestic violence shit that they put on me,” Hunt said. “It’s kind of sad because the situation was clearly no violence. I mean, we got into a heated argument over filing the lawsuit that we’re doing, like the other times we’ve argued about it. We argue about it, we go away, we come back and sort out and 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 or put a finger on you and that’s what 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. I drove off and when I saw the cops come in the cameras, I came back to sort it out, then I get put in jail for domestic violence.”
According to the court details that were reported, Hunt is accused of acting in an “intimidating and berating matter” that caused fear and distress, not of physically injuring the alleged victim during that incident. Hunt’s position is that the argument got heated, he drove away, and no physical violence took place.
🚨 Ex-UFC fighter Mark Hunt was arrested for alleged domestic violence yesterday, other charges include:
▫️ Stalking
▫️ Intimidation with intent to cause harmPolice said that he allegedly texted the victim: “I’m just going to murder you in the end anyway.”
via @MMAFighting pic.twitter.com/YQiMspgyKp
— ACD MMA (@acdmma_) April 15, 2026
Hunt says the UFC lawsuit became a flashpoint at home
The lawsuit Hunt referenced has shaped much of his post-fighting life. After losing to Brock Lesnar at UFC 200 in July 2016, Hunt sued the UFC, Dana White, and Lesnar after Lesnar later failed a drug test and the result was changed to a no-contest. Hunt claimed the promotion let Lesnar compete under unfair conditions, then spent years chasing the case through court before it was dismissed after multiple appeals. The last appeal loss formally ended that legal fight.
“What’s sad about the situation is the way I see that, even the law is clear, it says it’s how you made them feel,” Hunt said. “I get that, I understand that, but that means that when you get a domestic violence order put on you, there’s no point in having that relationship because that person can hang that over your head and even when you’re having an argument about something, they just pull that out straight away and say you’re going to jail. So that means you’re like a prisoner to them, from then on, when they’ve got the DV order in because end of the day there’s no point in having that relationship anymore.”
“Like I said, when you’re in a partnership, of course people argue. Everyone argues. The thing about that is everyone talks about it and goes back together and fixes it. That’s what a partnership is. Yeah, people have made mistakes, I’ve made a lot of mistakes. No one’s perfect. No one’s Jesus. What’s sad about here is not many people take a record or make a record of what’s happened. That’s why I feel kind of sad about it. A lot of these texts are being used retroactively, they’re trying to use them retroactively. They weren’t even part of what happened here a couple of days ago. They’re just being brought up from the past from someone keeping a tab.”
Hunt also addressed the allegation that he sent death threats and said there was missing background behind those messages.
“I wanted to put this video up just to clear up a few things, especially with these death threat texts,” Hunt said. “These death threat texts, they’re trying to conflate them. If you send death threats to my family and threaten my family with separation or whatever, you’re going to get the same thing back. So that’s the context of that situation, so all these people that don’t have the whole story or don’t know shouldn’t speak on it.”
“I didn’t hurt anyone. Like I said, I’ve had a life of violence, I’m a former prize fighter. I fought at the highest level in different prize fighting sports. Like I said, I don’t know why I’d want to hurt my loved ones physically.” via MMAFighting
Hunt’s legal battle with the UFC kept his name tied to the Brock Lesnar fallout for years, and this latest statement shows he believes that same dispute sat at the center of the argument now under review.
