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White addresses Hunt's tirade over being pulled from UFC Sydney

Joe Camporeale / USA TODAY Sports

Dana White is taking Mark Hunt's latest beef in stride.

Speaking with TMZ in response to several expletive-laced rants Hunt released after he was unexpectedly pulled from UFC Fight Night 121, White said he's grown accustomed to being targeted by the longtime heavyweight.

"He’s always going off on me," White said Thursday, according to MMA Fighting.

Hunt was yanked from the card's main event opposite Marcin Tybura this week over medical concerns that arose from a recent piece he penned for Players Voice, in which he detailed the toll his 20-year career as a fighter has taken on him.

The 43-year-old later took to Instagram to threaten White with another lawsuit - the first was in relation to his fight with Brock Lesnar at UFC 200 - and maintain he'd been medically cleared to take the cage. Hunt also downplayed the claims he'd made regarding his health.

While Hunt believes he's being targeted over the criminal conspiracy suit he filed against the UFC, White said the promotion pulled him from the November bout for his own well-being and denied the existence of any friction between he and the heavyweight fan favorite.

"Listen, sometimes you gotta protect these guys from themselves and that’s what we’re looking into right now. he made a statement that I’ve hated him forever. I don’t hate Mark Hunt at all. I never hated Mark Hunt. He knows that. I was actually really good with Mark Hunt."

Hunt was replaced by former foe Fabricio Werdum, who meets Tybura in the main event of UFC Fight Night 121 on Nov. 18 in Sydney.

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