The UFC used confidential fight contracts to shoot down Mark Hunt’s lawsuit against the promotion. That may come back to bite them in court.

After a judge rejected a request this past month to seal those documents, the promotion is claiming in a motion that their release would “jeopardize” the UFC and Hunt’s “competitive standing” in the MMA industry.

Further, the promotion’s chief legal officer claims the documents would fundamentally alter the contract negotiation process, making the UFC’s business “unmanageable.”

“I have personally experienced fighters holding out or refusing to accept contract offers based on the perception that he or she should receive the same deal as another fighter regardless of differences in experience, skill level, fight records, marketability, etc.,” Zuffa rep Donald J. Campbell wrote in the motion, filed Aug. 1 in U.S. District Court in Nevada.

“If this situation were multiplied across the hundreds of fighters needed to successfully run Zuffa’s business through the public disclosure of individual fighter contracts, the contract negotiation process would become unmanageable.”

Hunt sued the UFC in January 2017, claiming the promotion schemed to deny him a fair fight at UFC 200 against ex-champ Brock Lesnar, who beat him and later tested positive for a banned substance. Hunt seeks millions in damages. The UFC has denied wrongdoing.

Nevada District Judge C.W. Hoffman has yet to rule on the filing, which was first revealed by attorney Lucas Middlebrook, who serves as an advisor to the pro-union Project Spearhead and is currently embroiled in a labor complaint against the UFC over its business practices.

Via Twitter:

“The (UFC) aims to keep Mr. Hunt’s agreements under seal, in part, because they don’t want fighters to know how much each other make,” Middlebrook wrote on Twitter. “Knowledge is power & (sic) the UFC seeks to limit your knowledge.”

Campbell argues that the contracts used in the lawsuit contain a confidentiality clause which keeps them from public view. He claims such clauses keep competitors from copying the promotion’s “confidential pricing structure” and shields fighters from sensitive disclosures, and argues that simply concealing specific financial details would not run counter to the public’s right to know.

“Were Zuffa not to take steps to keep the subject contracts protected through sealing/redaction, it would potentially expose itself to claims of breach by the fighters with whom it contracts.”

Hunt (13-12-1 MMA, 8-6-1 UFC), of course, alleges that UFC breached its duty to give him a fair fight by waiving a four-month testing window for Lesnar (5-3-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC). He believes the promotion is allowing cheaters to prosper to the detriment of UFC fighters.

“What message is that sending to the boys and girls who want to be a fighter someday? The message is, ‘You just have to cheat like this and it’s OK,” Hunt told ESPN.com. “In society, if you commit a crime, you pay. Why is it different in MMA? It’s hurt the business, so it’s even worse. They need to be held accountable for this.”

Hunt’s legal action has not kept him from fighting in the octagon. He next faces submission artist Oleksiy Oliynyk (56-11-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in the headliner of UFC Fight Night 136 next month.

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