Mark Hunt: Anti-Doping Policy Exemption Granted to Brock Lesnar ‘A Load of Bulls—t’

Mark Hunt has some very strong feelings regarding the Anti-Doping Policy exemption granted to Brock Lesnar to allow the former heavyweight champion to compete at UFC 200 on July 9.

“I don’t think that’s fair. I think it’s load of bulls—t; I think it’s rubbish,” Hunt told Fox Sports Australia. “I don’t think anyone should be exempt from testing. If they’re trying to clean the sport up — mixed martial arts — this is a bad way to do it. I don’t care who you are. It’s ridiculous.”

In most cases, a fighter coming out of retirement is required to provide written notice of his/her intent to return to active competition and make himself/herself available for testing at least four months in advance. However, the UFC has granted Lesnar an exemption to the four-month rule, which can be applied “in exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to an athlete.”

While Lesnar will now be subject to in- and out-of-competition testing leading up to UFC 200, Hunt is not confident that his opponent will be clean.

“I don’t think it’s a great move. I think he’s juiced to the gills — and I still think I’m going to knock him out,” Hunt said. “So I don’t think that’s correct. I don’t think he should be allowed to get a four-month exemption otherwise everyone else should. Otherwise I should start juicing.

“How are you going to clean the sport up doing that s—t? It won’t happen. I don’t think it’s fair.”

Hunt said he has already expressed his concerns to UFC President Dana White.

“I’ve already voiced my opinion to Dana about it but apparently he [Lesnar] has been getting tested but he’s probably been off a couple of cycles anyway,” he said.

“I think everyone should be tested equally and fairly. Make it an even playing field otherwise you might as well get everyone juiced up and have the juicing UFC competition and the non-juicing [competition].”

Lesnar has not fought since Jan. 30, 2011, when he suffered a first-round TKO defeat to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141. The former champion was consistently among the promotion’s top draws during his first stint and could help bolster pay-per-view buys for UFC 200.

Hunt, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back first-round stoppages of Frank Mir and Antonio Silva. After their bout in Brisbane on March 19, Mir was alerted of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation.

“I’m always going to fight anyway, it doesn’t matter,” Hunt said. “I love competition but I just don’t think it’s fair. I mean, I don’t think it’s an even playing field. “But it doesn’t mean you’re not going to get knocked out. Frank Mir was juicing and he got knocked out.

“The same thing’s going to happen with Brock Lesnar.”