Mark Hunt: 'UFC Fighters Get Paid Average Unless You Are The Champ'

Mark Hunt’s “average” payouts from the UFC have landed him at No. 17 on the top 20 list of highest-paid athletes in New Zealand.

The New Zealand Herald is reporting that the Super Samoan’s new six-fight deal with the UFC is worth around a guaranteed $350,000 per fight. With Hunt averaging around two fights per year, his annual income is listed at around $890,000, a number he doesn’t seem particularly proud of.

On Sunday, the heavyweight contender took to Twitter and questioned his spot on the list, given the “average” payouts in the UFC. According to Hunt, the champions in the UFC are the only fighters making the real money.

This isn’t the first time Hunt has complained about his earnings.

A little over a year ago, he posted a link to MMA Manifesto’s UFC Career Fighter Earnings on his Facebook page (h/t BloodyElbow.com), claiming the UFC had “cheated” him out of money. He even went as far as to question the reason anyone would ever consider fighting for the UFC.

Keep in mind, the totality of the payouts doesn’t even include the possibility of earning fight bonuses, which typically add up to an extra $50,000 apiece.

The UFC acquired Hunt’s contract as part of its acquisition of Pride Fighting Championships in 2007. Instead, of sitting around and collecting a paycheck, Hunt opted to finish out his contract by competing in the UFC. Coming off a five-fight losing streak, Hunt was defeated in his debut by Sean McCorkle.

He has since gone on to win five of his last seven fights, drawing with Antonio Silva and losing only to former heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos. His last outing ended with a spectacular second-round knockout win over Roy Nelson.

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.