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Mark Hunt has often been seen at the forefront of the war against performance-enhancing drugs. In what seemed like a never-ending battle against cheaters, Hunt never minced his words when it came to fighters using PEDs. What's more, UFC president Dana White himself has been on the receiving end of flak from Mark Hunt numerous times.
His biggest move against cheaters came back in 2017. Hunt filed a lawsuit against the UFC, Dana White and Brock Lesnar after it was revealed that Lesnar had tested positive for PEDs ahead of his UFC 200 clash with Hunt.
His pursuit of justice was initially stifled by the United States District Court for Nevada, as it dismissed all the claims back in 2019. However, it was revived by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit after his case was reopened earlier this month.
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This revitalized his vigor to bring an end to the epidemic of PED abuse in the UFC and perhaps combat sports as a whole. That was evident in a video he uploaded to Instagram in the wake of the Court of Appeals' decision to revisit his case.
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Mark Hunt has had the misfortune of fighting athletes that have tested positive for PEDs on more than one occasion. His experience with juiced-up opponents set him on a warpath against all cheaters and the system that they hide behind.
In this article, we take a look at five of Mark Hunt's opponents who tested positive for PEDs over the course of their storied careers.
#5. UFC Fight Night 85: Mark Hunt vs. Frank Mir
Mark Hunt managed to outshine Frank Mir in their headliner in Brisbane, Australia. 'The Super Samoan' recorded a first-round knockout three minutes into the fight.
Frank Mir tested positive for oral turinabol, an anabolic steroid metabolite, after he was tested by USADA ahead of his fight against Mark Hunt at UFC Fight Night 85, which went down back in March 2016.
Mir, however, denied consuming the drug knowingly. He turned in yet another positive test after his sample 'B' was tested by USADA. He speculated that the reason behind his positive test was a batch of tainted kangaroo meat.
#4. UFC 160: Mark Hunt vs. Junior dos Santos
Mark Hunt and Junior dos Santos collided back in May 2013 at UFC 160. The Brazilian walked away with the win after recording a KO shortly after the fourth minute of the third round.
Junior dos Santos was pulled from a high-profile fight against Francis Ngannou after it was revealed that he had tested positive for a banned substance. The Brazilian found himself out of his UFC 215 fight against Ngannou after an out-of-competition USADA test had returned as positive.
The former UFC heavyweight champion tested positive for Hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic. The camp of dos Santos maintained that he had not participated in the intake of the drug knowingly.
#3. UFC 209: Mark Hunt vs. Alistair Overeem
Mark Hunt clashed with Alistair Overeem back in March 2017 at UFC 209. Alistair Overeem recorded a KO/TKO win over the New Zealander after a knee to his head took him out before the second minute of the third round.
Alistair Overeem, who was slated to butt heads with the then-champion Junior dos Santos back in 2012 at UFC 146, failed a pre-fight drug test. He tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone. He was replaced by Frank Mir.
In a subsequent statement explaining his side of things, Overeem revealed that the culprit behind his suspicious levels of testosterone was an anti-inflammatory medication. He went on to state that he was prescribed the medicine by his doctor after he "aggravated an old rib injury."
#2. UFC 180: Mark Hunt vs. Fabricio Werdum
Mark Hunt threw down with Fabricio Werdum back in November 2014. The pair headlined the event at UFC 180 with the interim heavyweight championship belt hanging in the balance.
A flying knee to his face sent Mark Hunt sprawling on the mats before Fabricio Werdum landed a series of hard shots on the fallen Kiwi. The fight came to an end in the second round.
Ahead of his headliner against Alexey Oleinik UFC Fight Night 136, Fabricio Werdum turned in a positive test for Trenbolone, an anabolic steroid, and its metabolite Epitrenbolone in an out-of-competition test.
Although the test marked the first positive result of his career, he was slapped with a hefty punishment. USADA handed him a two-year suspension, which was subsequently cut short by 10 months.
#1. UFC 200: Mark Hunt vs. Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar, following a lengthy period of retirement, was booked to go toe-to-toe with Mark Hunt at UFC 200. He went on to secure a victory over Hunt by way of a unanimous decision. However, PED infringements cost him his win as the result was overturned to a no contest.
Lesnar turned in positive tests for hydroxy-clomiphene and clomiphene in out-of-competition and in-competition drug tests that were conducted by USADA. In addition to the change in the final result of his fight against Mark Hunt, Brock Lesnar was slapped with a year-long suspension and a $250,000 fine.
The fine made for 10% of the $2.5M purse that he collected after outperforming Mark Hunt. It was that incident which prompted Hunt to file a lawsuit and fight the UFC, among others, in the legal octagon.
