The perennial Pride and K-1 vet turned UFC prospect talks street brawls, six-packs of beer and painfully underestimating the power of the ground game.

Q: So how did you get into fighting?

Hunt: “I accidentally got into fighting. I was more into football than fighting. I got into an altercation outside a night club and the bouncer was my first trainer. The next week I was in the ring fighting Muay Thai.”

Q: What was the New Zealand Muay Thai scene like at the time?

A: “It was just new. I’d never seen it before. I was 16 and it was really daunting. My first fight, I thought I could take on the whole planet.

But the place where I fought was a two-tier place and when I walked out the crowd was looking at me and I was nervous as hell.

By then it was too late so I just walked out and fought. I managed to knock the guy out in the second round and he was 66lb heavier than me. I was 220lb back then.”

Q: When did you realize fighting was something you could make a living out of?

A: “I got a six-pack of beer for that fight and I was like, ‘Wow!’ I actually started thinking of it as a money process when I moved to Australia.

I was working at a pharmaceutical factory making tablets. In six months I earned less than AUS$10,000. I trained for K-1 in Australia and in 23 minutes I won over AUS$10,000. That’s when it clicked.”

Q: You were fighting when K-1 was at its peak. What was it like in Japan for you?

A: “It was surreal. People were asking for my autograph. The first lady who asked me I just said, ‘Why?’ But when you go overseas back to your home you’re just a normal person again so it’s really weird going back and forth from a celebrity to a normal guy.”

Q: What brought the changeover to MMA?

A: “I won the K-1 title and I’d lost interest in fighting. To me, it became about the pay packet. When I was approached by Pride I looked at the whole competition as funny, I looked at it as easy. I soon realized it’s not like that.”

Q: At what point did you realize it was harder than you thought?

A: “It was in training when it hit me. I thought, ‘Damn, this is some crazy stuff! I gotta get serious!’ It was a guy called Steve Oliver and he just started smashing me, slamming me on my back and I was like ‘What the...?’ I realized I had to train ground fighting. I’m not even there yet. You gotta learn ground fighting to be really successful in this business.”

Q: So what advice do you give to upcoming guys regarding the business side of MMA?

A: “I’ve been ripped off a lot of times. For the young fighters they gotta surround themselves with people who actually know what they’re doing and can help. I’d advise them to look carefully at who they associate with regarding their fight contracts. Maybe join a union.

You gotta be careful because the contract may be something that would line their pockets rather than yours. You need to look way ahead at the future and make plans for the future because it comes really quickly.”

Q: What do you think of a fighters’ union?

A: “They’re great. They could help with contracts and see whether it’s in the interest of the fighter. When I was fighting in K-1 they were really one-sided and if you sign the wrong one your whole life is gone.

If there’s unions out there to join then you should help yourself.”

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