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Brock Lesnar Hit With Massive Fine, Suspension Following Drug Test Failure — Mark Hunt Responds

By Aaron Sass
Published on: 09:34 PST, Dec 16, 2016

News broke on Thursday that ex-UFC heavyweight champion and current WWE superstar Brock Lesnar got hit with a $250,000 fine, and a one-year suspension following his drug test failure prior to this past July’s UFC 200 show. Jon Jones — who was originally scheduled to be in the show’s main event — was hit with the same punishment just a few days earlier.

Lesnar, who turned 39 four days after UFC 200, tested positive for a substance known as clomiphene, which is an estrogen blocker that athletes typically use following a steroid cycle.

After hearing the news of Lesnar’s suspension, Mark Hunt — who was Lesnar’s opponent at UFC 200 — said that the penalty isn’t harsh enough. He also said that he wants compensation, because he lost to a guy who was, in his opinion, on performance enhancing drugs.

“It’s not harsh enough considering he gets the same [punishment] as Jon Jones and Jones didn’t fight. Would that penalty have sufficed if I had died or been maimed?

“I want compensation for what’s happened and I want a change, either that or release me from my contract.”

Hunt, who has been a top 10 heavyweight in the UFC for the last several years, was furious upon hearing about Lesnar’s drug test failure over the summer, and, as you can see in the quote above, he demanded to be compensated for being in the Octagon with a guy who failed a pre-fight drug test. In fact, he told Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting that he wants all of Lesnar’s purse from the bout. As of this writing, the UFC, nor the Nevada Athletic Commission have given him any compensation.

In the weeks leading up to the fight, Mark Hunt said in various interviews that he believed Lesnar was “juiced to the gills,” which is why he was so furious upon hearing about the WWE stars’ drug test failure.

While Lesnar is being punished by the Nevada Athletic Commission, his current employer — World Wrestling Entertainment — has not, and will not punish him, even though he is violating the company wellness policy. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Lesnar isn’t subject to regular drug tests in WWE because he’s a part time performer.

Lesnar’s failed drug test hasn’t negatively impacted his popularity in WWE, as he’s still one of, if not the most popular superstar on the entire roster.

The start date of Lesnar’s suspension is the same date of his failed drug test, so while he got hit with a one-year suspension on December 15, he’ll be free to fight if he chooses to next July.

Following his win over Mark Hunt at UFC 200, Lesnar was non-committal about his future in the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization. He also said that his fighting future depends on whether or not WWE chairman Vince McMahon will allow him to step inside the Octagon again.

By the time Lesnar’s suspension is up, he’ll be 40 years old, and not many 40-year-olds have been successful in the UFC. In fact, there is probably only two that you can point to: Dan Henderson and Randy Couture. But, Lesnar did look good in his last fight, so there’s no reason to believe that he won’t be successful if he chooses to make another run at the UFC heavyweight championship.

For now though, Brock Lesnar is booked through the first quarter of 2017 with WWE, as he’s preparing to enter their annual Royal Rumble match on January 29, which will presumably lead to a match between he and Bill Goldberg at WrestleMania 33 on April 2. After that, Lesnar will have an extended period of free time, as he won’t appear again for WWE until August, for the company’s annual SummerSlam event.

[Featured Image by John Locher/AP Images]

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