Mark Hunt slams the UFC pay structure: 'Conor McGregor only made that money when he transcended to boxing!'

The bad blood between Mark Hunt and UFC is well-known and documented, as it had long breached the walls of meeting rooms and went to the court of law.

The former Pride and UFC Heavyweight waged a war with UFC and sued the company with a long list of allegations, including fraud, misconduct, and breach of contract.

Nevada's District Court dismissed the lawsuit, but he is taking UFC to court again now. In an interview with Submission Radio, Mark Hunt opened up about several inadequacies of UFC, including their approach towards PEDs and their pay structure.

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Mark Hunt: What's the point of being a UFC fighter?

Mark Hunt is retired from the active UFC roster now. His last fight was in 2018. During the last few years of his time in UFC, he has been one of the most vocal fighters to speak up against the company's handling of PEDs.

Hunt was always highly critical of their pay structure, and he continues to be so now. He called out the company once again, pointing out that there is a lot more money if you 'make it' in boxing. He named Champions like Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, who make $50-100 millions per match.

Hunt brought up Conor McGregor, who is inarguably the richest UFC fighter in the company. It is no news that The Irishman made the fortune of a lifetime in his 'Money Fight' with Floyd Mayweather in 2017. Hunt pointed out that McGregor could only make such staggering figures thanks to boxing, and not because of UFC.

"You look at the boxing side, when you make it there, you make it there. When you make it to Anthony Joshua status, Joseph Parker, Tyson Fury, you make it. One fight is $100 million, $50 million. I mean, Conor made that money when he transcended to boxing. So, what’s the point of being a UFC fighter?"

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How much did Conor McGregor make?

Conor McGregor's disclosed guaranteed paycheck for the fight was $30 million, but the actual amount was much, much higher. McGregor reportedly earned a whopping $130 million from the fight, which is not surprising given how the event is still ranked the second highest PPV buyout in history.

Conor McGregor also talked about bagging an $80 million payday for the Donald Cerrone fight at UFC 246, but that is definitely not the case for all UFC fighters.

"They think I'm toast, Ariel, but I'm still the bread." 🍞@TheNotoriousMMA says he made $50 million for the Khabib fight and predicts an $80 million payday for #UFC246 (via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/UjpLhbDBAC

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 13, 2020

However, Mark Hunt is not alone in this fight now. Quite a few people have spoken up about their personal dissatisfaction regarding UFC's reluctance to pay and compensate fighters fairly.

Mark Hunt called their pay 'garbage', saying that the UFC titles do not come with a better paycheck, even though fighters put their health on the line for each bout.

"There’s no prestige in that title, in the UFC title. There’s no money in that title. And that’s not just me telling you, you can see from the evidence that everyone’s doing,” Hunt said. “Why would you want to be a UFC fighter? Why would you want to be the heavyweight champion of the UFC? Why would you want to be the champion of these things when they’re just f*ckin’ paying them 16 percent? It’s garbage. It’s honestly garbage. "

Mark Hunt is currently pencilled in to fight Pro Rugby player Paul Gallen in Sydney next month.

It’s a Sydney Super Fight as two huge fights headline a great night of boxing at Bankwest Stadium. The headline fight will feature Australia’s newest star in Tim Tszyu taking while NRL legend Paul Gallen faces off against UFC legend and KO machine Mark Hunt. pic.twitter.com/8hAvKRIo8N

— Gallen vs Hunt LIVE STREAM (@vs_hunt) November 15, 2020