MMA Fighting is reporting that a bulk of the claims brought forth by fighter Mark Hunt against UFC President Dana White and current WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar have been dismissed by U.S. District Court Nevada Judge Jennifer Doresy.
Hunt, a long-time fighter in UFC’s Heavyweight division, filed a lawsuit against the UFC, White and Lesnar related to Lesnar failing a drug test after their fight at UFC 200 back in 2016, in what was Lesnar’s return to the sport of MMA.
Hunt claimed UFC, White and Lesnar committed “racketeering, fraud, battery and civil conspiracy and more” by allowing Lesnar to fight. The lawsuit, filed back in 2016, stated UFC officials were aware Lesnar had been using “performance-enhancing drugs ahead of UFC 200” and decided to go forward with the fight anyway.
Judge Dorsey ruled that while Lesnar did violate a rule of the sport by testing positive, he was fined $250,000 by the Nevada Athletic Commission and has not fought for the UFC ever since. Dorsey also stated that Lesnar violating this rule “does not automatically negate Hunt’s consent.” Her full ruling can be viewed below.
“As Hunt’s own allegations demonstrate, doping is an unfortunately common issue in MMA and was a risk he perceived. And although he argues that doping empowered Lesnar to move faster and hit harder, Hunt doesn’t allege that Lesnar’s conduct during the bout was somehow atypical—such as throwing Hunt out of the octagon or using ‘packed gloves’ or a weapon. Nor does Hunt claim that his injuries exceeded those typical of an MMA bout. Accordingly, I find that Hunt consented to his fight with Lesnar, which precludes civil-battery liability.”