‘They will put Francis at the back of the bus’: Mark Hunt supports Ngannou’s UFC contract dispute

Mark Hunt is no stranger to speaking up for himself, especially when it comes to dealing with the promotion he once fought for, the UFC.

Following Francis Ngannou’s successful title defense at UFC 270, Hunt hopes that the reigning heavyweight champion will continue to speak up for himself as well.

Ngannou completed the final fight on his contract by stepping inside the octagon and defeating Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision. Since he retained his title, the contract was extended, but the UFC and its champion still have much to work through.

Ngannou earned disclosed pay of $600,000 for his fight against Gane, a number that does not include pay-per-view points and other potential revenue. While the champ has expressed his gripes with his contract extend beyond the paychecks, that has not stopped others from speaking up about the numbers.

Hunt, who made 18 walks to the UFC cage and has ongoing legal troubles with the promotion of his own, had a few words to share about Ngannou’s situation. Even though he believes Ngannou will face repercussions for it, Hunt believes it is a fight worth fighting.

“And now they will put Francis at the back of the bus and turn on him like they do every other fighter that speaks up,” Hunt commented on an Instagram clip from Ngannou’s post-fight press conference. “I hope he doesn’t sign again until they pay him his dues. He was getting ripped off royally like every other fighter in that company.”

“World Heavyweight champion getting 5-600k USD,” Hunt continued. “My last fight with this company 5-6 years ago, I got 950k USD and I never had the belt five years ago. And the reason I was getting that was because I always spoke up and told them they need to pay. They are not your friends and you don’t need brown-nosing management to rip you off. Get what you’re worth, @francisngannou. Don’t live on your knees. You’re a fighter in and out of the octagon. When you’re the heavyweight champion of the world, the word “NO” should not be in your vocab anymore. I guess it must be just the UFC heavyweight title (that is) worthless and unworthy of your time and blood.”

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