The war of words between Mark Hunt and the UFC continues, and once again it’s a column penned by one of the parties that furthers the debate. In this week’s Trading Shots, retired WEC and UFC fighter Danny Downes joins MMAjunkie columnist Ben Fowlkes to discuss the unfolding argument.

Downes: Ben, while you’re gearing up for your new blood feud with Colby Covington, I was hoping I could bring another squabble to your attention.

Dana White and Mark Hunt don’t appear to be coming to a resolution any time soon. After the “Super Samoan” was pulled from his Nov. 18 fight against Marcin Tybura, Hunt was incensed (you could tell by how many middle finger emojis he used), and vowed another lawsuit on top of the one he already has pending against the UFC.

President White isn’t one to back down, so nobody could be surprised when White wrote a letter to Australia’s Daily Telegraph. Does this change your opinion on the matter? White said he said he’d have kept Hunt on the card if the 43-year-old striker passed some “additional tests,” but Hunt refused. Isn’t this a problem of Hunt’s own making?

Fowlkes: It is, definitely. If he doesn’t “write” that column in the first place, none of this happens. And as White “wrote” in his rebuttal, if you’re going to put your byline on the thing, it’s hard to complain that your words were taken out of context. (Can you tell I’m having a hard time picturing either of these two sitting down at a laptop to type any of this out?)

If it’s true that the UFC offered to fly Hunt (first class, no less) to the Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health for further testing before it pulled him from the fight, then he can’t complain about being yanked.

That’s a totally justifiable and even prudent move on the UFC’s part. You’re also not going to convince me that it would have all played out exactly the same if Hunt wasn’t already suing the UFC for putting his health at risk.

In that sense, you could say this is a problem of Hunt’s making in at least two ways.

What I still wonder, though, is if this establishes a new precedent for the UFC. Is this the rule now? If you make public mention of any possible symptoms of brain trauma, are you automatically sidelined pending further testing? And if so, how long does the UFC get to keep you inactive while still keeping you under contract?

What kind of doctor’s note could you even get that would clear you to return to action? What, is the Lou Ruvo Center going to give Hunt a certificate that says he has definitely not suffered any brain damage from fighting? Because I’ll tell you, I don’t see that happening.

That’s where this gets tricky, does it not? I agree with the UFC that if Hunt has those symptoms, no way should he be fighting. But a UFC contract is pretty restrictive, so how can you keep him tied to it if you don’t think he’s healthy enough to fight?

And if the UFC doesn’t take this exact same approach with any other fighter who complains of health issues (and maybe not just brain stuff, but also bad knees, achy backs, joints that sound like pepper grinders when they move) will it serve only to prove that this was more about the lawsuit than about actual concern for fighter health?

Downes: I think this is the first time you’ve agreed with the actions of a corporation in this column. Someone better not read this to all your other comrades down at the farm.

In this individual case, I agree the UFC did the prudent thing. While I’m not 100 percent convinced the company did this for altruistic reasons, it was still the correct move. Imagine if Hunt went out there and suffered another KO or injury. People would have called the UFC negligent. Letting a fighter compete after he’s admitted to the symptoms Hunt has would be an irresponsible thing to do (at least legally).

It also seems wrong to prevent Hunt from making a living. The UFC can’t really go back and say that Hunt wasn’t cleared to fight this November, but all his brain issues magically went away for a fight in December or January.

But let’s just say that the UFC and Hunt part ways, and then Hunt signs up with RIZIN. Will you watch that fight? I’ll answer for you: Of course you will. And if that’s the case, how worried are we about brain trauma? Not enough to change our consumption habits, apparently.

Neither one of us are neurologists, but we can assume that Hunt has suffered some brain trauma. The real issue is to what extent.

Imagine if every fighter on the UFC roster underwent the test at the Lou Ruvo Center which Dana White offered. Where would Hunt fall? It’s safe to assume there are active fighters with symptoms similar to his. It’s also safe to assume that while many may not have the symptoms of Hunt, they could potentially have even greater neurological deterioration. Should all of them be barred from fighting?

Fighters don’t receive pensions. They don’t have a 401(k) matching plan. There are only so many cushy analyst positions at FS1. They need to fight to make a living. We may think they’re being short-sighted, irresponsible, or endangering their health, but does that mean we should hope promoters effectively end their careers?

Fowlkes: First of all, a lot of fighters on the UFC roster do undergo testing at the Lou Ruvo Center. As you may know (since you’re such an avid reader of my writing), they’ve been working on a study of fighter brain health since about 2011, offering free MRIs in exchange for participation in the study, which the UFC has supported. And a fighter Hunt’s age needs continued MRIs to even get licensed most places, so further testing is probably part of the deal one way or another if he wants to fight.

But what do we really expect the doctor’s note to say here? As Dr. Charles Bernick explained when I asked about his research at the Lou Ruvo center back in 2013, there’s some evidence of a correlation between number of bouts and decreased volume in certain areas of the brain. But it’s not like there’s some agreed upon limit or threshold which, when detected, triggers automatic forced retirement.

Even if there were, that just brings us back to the UFC’s response. It would pretty much have to release Hunt in that scenario, at which point he could sign to fight in Japan, where there’s no commission to tell anyone that they have to care what the doctors in Las Vegas say. Plus, once you establish that threshold, you’d better be prepared to enforce it across the board. What happens if Georges St-Pierre goes in for pre-fight testing and finds out he’s in the no-go zone? What happens if it’s Conor McGregor?

One of the things that makes these brain issues so tricky is that we can’t say (yet) when you’ve crossed the line, or when/if it will actually catch up with you. We know getting hit in the head repeatedly isn’t good for your brain, but it’s part of the basic premise of this sport, so at some level we have to agree to accept a certain amount of that risk.

As for the question of fan culpability, I agree it’s something we’re all morally obligated to consider as supporters of this sport, but it’s never going to be a reliable failsafe. Some people honestly don’t care if fighters turn their brains to mush for our entertainment. Others care only selectively.

I saw a lot of people effectively boycotting Antonio Silva’s ill-conceived kickboxing bout, but I’m sure plenty of other people tuned in without losing any sleep over it. Plus, I’m not sure we’re doing anybody any favors if we tell fighters that we’ll watch them damage themselves until we suddenly decide it’s no fun for us anymore, and then they’re out of a job.

At the risk of playing right into your “Ben is a commie” narrative, I think the answer should ultimately involve a collective bargaining agreement that brings pensions and ongoing benefits, much like in the NFL. But we’re a long way from that point. And Hunt’s not getting any younger – or any less angry at the employer who won’t let him get paid but also won’t let him go.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Ben Fowlkes is MMAjunkie and USA TODAY’s MMA columnist. Danny Downes, a retired UFC and WEC fighter, is an MMAjunkie contributor who has also written for UFC.com and UFC 360. Follow them on twitter at @benfowlkesMMA and @dannyboydownes.

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