Hunt aims to fight out UFC contract before moving on to new promotion
(Warning: Story contains coarse language)
Mark Hunt's days in the UFC are numbered.
The UFC heavyweight aims to fight out the remaining three bouts on his promotional contract, then take his talents elsewhere, he said on Thursday's edition of "Submission Radio."
"That'll be the end of my career in the UFC," Hunt said. "I've got three fights left, and you probably know the past I've had with the UFC. They're a business and I haven't got (anything against them), I just don't like to be treated like shit.
"So like I said, three fights left, and we'll move on."
Hunt's relationship with the outfit has become quite acrimonious over the past 17 months, beginning with his bout against Brock Lesnar at UFC 200. Lesnar became the latest of several opponents Hunt's faced who tested positive for banned substances surrounding their bout. Hunt subsequently filed a lawsuit alleging the promotion allowed him to face Lesnar with knowledge of Lesnar's doping violation.
The 43-year-old fighter's relationship with the brass deteriorated further when Hunt was pulled from a November date with Marcin Tybura in Sydney. He was yanked due to medical concerns that appeared to arise from a piece Hunt wrote in which he said he'd suffered memory loss and slurred speech over his lengthy career. Hunt later claimed he'd been pulled in retaliation for the lawsuit, an accusation UFC president Dana White denied.
The debacle prompted Hunt to obtain medical clearance from doctors in Las Vegas earlier in December, and the UFC confirmed his clean bill of health.
Though he may be resolute about moving on to greener pastures, Hunt maintained Thursday that a UFC title remains at the top of the docket. He hopes to add one to his trophy case by the time he's fought out his contract. After that, he'll eye fights in New Zealand, Australia, and Japan - his former Pride FC stomping ground - although he did not specify a target organization.
The former kickboxer last stopped Derrick Lewis at UFC Fight Night 110 in June, and meets Curtis Blaydes at UFC 221 on Feb. 10 in Perth, Australia.