Former UFC Heavyweight Mark Hunt Addresses Domestic Violence Arrest

Former UFC fighter Mark Hunt has addressed his domestic violence arrest on Tuesday evening. 

Hunt was arrested for stalking or intimidation with intent to cause physical harm. New South Wales Police confirmed that officers were dispatched to a home in the Northern Rivers region following reports of an alleged domestic incident. Once taken to Ballina Police Station, he was formally charged. 

Hunt was initially denied bail until a court appearance on Wednesday, but the NSW Bail Division confirmed he was granted bail ahead of a hearing on April 30. An Apprehended Violence Order had also been sought after. 

Addressing the matter on X, Hunt said it was a sad situation but there had been no physical violence. 

"I want to speak on this domestic violence s*** that they put on me," he said. "It's kind of sad because the situation, there was clearly no violence. We got into a heated argument over a filing in a lawsuit that we're doing. Like the other times we've argued about it. We argue about it, we go away, we come back and fix it and carry on."

Hunt said "every couple argues" and has the same issues, before taking issue with the fact that the other party had kept a record of their interaction. He said, "So long as that person doesn't touch you, put a finger on you. This is what happened here, not a person was hurt, I didn't lay a hand on anybody."

Hunt continued, "I just got frustrated, we got into a heated argument, and I left. I drove off and when I saw the cops come out on the cameras, I came back to sort it out and then I got put in jail for domestic violence."

Hunt then turned his attention to the Order against him. He said that, while also saying he understands that the law looks at the intent and feeling behind words and actions, with the Order, there's no point in having a relationship.

"Because that person can hang that over your head and even when you have an argument about something, they just pull that out straight away and say you're going to jail. That means you're like a prisoner to them," he said.

In his initial court appearance, Hunt was accused by the prosecution of sending a threatening text message: "I'm just going to murder you in the end anyway."

The defense disputed that the message was sent by him, and he was not charged in relation to the text. Even still, police opposed bail against the Court's eventual decision due to a "heightened" risk to the victim and community.

Hunt addressed the texts his defense claimed he had not sent: "What's sad about it is not many people take a record or make a record of what's happened. A lot of these texts are being used retroactively, they weren't even a part of what happened here a couple days ago. It's just been brought up from the past by someone who's keeping a tab."