The UFC has pulled Mark Hunt from his November scheduled main event bout against Marcin Tybura in Sydney. Promotion officials cited “medical concerns” as the reason following statements Hunt made to PlayersVoice.com.au recently where he admitted to having trouble with his memory and stated he had began to stutter and slur his words. Brain trauma is a major concern in today’s mixed martial arts environment and the UFC told news.com.au Hunt will need to undergo further medical evaluation before he’s allowed to fight again.
“Following a recent first-person article published by heavyweight Mark Hunt, the UFC has taken the precautionary steps of removing Hunt from a previously announced bout in Sydney, Australia.
“The health-related statements made by Hunt in the article represent the first time UFC was made aware of these claims. Athlete health and safety is of the utmost importance to the organisation and it would never knowingly schedule an athlete complaining of health issues for a fight. The organisation will require that Hunt undergo further testing and evaluations prior to competing in any future UFC bout.”
To say that Hunt is irrate about the situation is an understatement.
Everyone loves a Mark Hunt fight because he lays it all on the line. He’s known to have one of the hardest chins in the game and has been in some of the most epic battles of all time. That sort of fighting style will absolutely take its toll though. And we know the long term effects are not pretty. As Hunt stated in the article that got him pulled from the bout, he’s made peace with the fact that he could die fighting. And as a legend of the combat arts, he absolutely has that right. But neither the UFC or the fans want to see that happen. You can’t publicly talk about experiencing symptoms of brain trauma and then get mad when they pull you from the card. They made the right call.
Following his quick submission win over Gerald Harris at UFC 216, Fabricio Werdum has been picked to replace Hunt against Tybura in the UFC Fight Night 121 headliner on Nov. 19.