A wish has been granted for Kiwi knockout king Mark Hunt with the announcement of a union for UFC fighters.
Frustrated and angry with the organisation in the wake of the Brock Lesnar saga last month, Hunt has been campaigning since then for mixed martial artists to band together and give themselves an official voice.
That became a reality when a statement was released on Thursday (Friday NZ time) revealing the formation of the Professional Fighters Association.
Headed by veteran baseball agent Jeff Borris, the group said their aim was to "represent the collective interests of the fighters employed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)."
It was pleasing news for Hunt, who lost a unanimous decision to Lesnar at UFC 200 in Las Vegas before it was revealed the professional wrestling superstar had tested positive for a banned substance before and after their fight.
Veteran heavyweight Hunt immediately went on the attack towards the UFC, initially demanding all of Lesnar's reported US$2.5 million pay-day before calling for much stronger action against any fighters found guilty of doping and claiming he was willing to walk away from his lucrative contract.
"The way I see it, the Brock Lesnar doping thing is just another reason why we need a fighter's association," he toldmarkhunt.tv. "These guys are just making up the rules as they go."
As that became a reality, Hunt responded by noting he only played a minor part in the fighters union finally getting off the ground.
"This union has been brewing for a while and I will certainly not take credit for it being established," he posted on his official Facebook page.
"Please thank those that are involved in this and it has been along way coming and needed. There's plenty of people that are far more deserving of the hard work they have done building this.
"I feel the right union to help fighters rights need to be backed so don't thank me thank those who have been working tirelessly in the background to make this happen."
The formation of the PFA comes after several previous attempts to unite mixed martial arts fighters under one banner proved problematic and were not successful.
But with the backing of players unions from Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer, the PFA believes they can create real change.
The group claimed UFC fighters received just 15 per cent of the promotion's revenue, compared to 50 per cent in the NBA and NHL, 48 per cent in the NFL and 43 per cent in MLS.
"It is the goal of the PFA to organise these hard-working athletes so that they may collectively bargain their terms and conditions of employment pursuant to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)," the release said.
"The PFA will not only be a union of fighters, but it will be governed solely by fighters. It is the fighters who will control their own futures.
"The scales have been tipped in favour of the UFC for too long. It is time for the fighters – the ones responsible for the UFC's success – to receive their equal share."