UFC President Dana White has said that while the organization is working on compensating fighter Stephen Thompson for his cancelled fight at UFC 291, they do not automatically pay fighters if fights do not occur, though they often do offer to cover fighters’ training expenses or offer replacement fights when bouts are cancelled through no fault of the fighters’.
Dana White, the UFC President, recently revealed that discussions were underway with Stephen Thompson regarding compensation for his cancelled fight at UFC 291. Surprisingly, he also defended the current practice of not automatically paying fighters their show money for fights that didn’t take place. White made this known during the DWCS Season 7 Week 1 press conference, where he mentioned, “There’s a much bigger story behind the scenes. And no, you don’t just show up and say, ‘Yeah, I’m not gonna fight – I want a quarter of a million dollars.’ Not the way it works.”
Thompson, also known as “Wonderboy”, was scheduled to fight Michel Pereira on the July pay-per-view card. However, Pereira failed to make the weight by three pounds resulting in the cancellation of the fight. According to White, fighters are given the option of receiving a portion of their opponent’s purse, which typically makes up for about 20 percent of the “show” money. In Thompson’s case, he declined the fight even after this offer.
After the fight was called off, there were reports that Thompson was not compensated for his “show” pay. On an episode of The MMA Hour, he shared his thoughts on why he chose not to proceed with the fight and expressed optimism that he would receive compensation from the UFC. He alluded that Pereira was to blame for the fight’s cancellation and stressed that UFC should implement a mandatory pay clause in their contracts, protecting fighters who lose fights due to no fault of theirs.
While the UFC has, in the past, paid show purses to fighters who came prepared for bouts that got canceled due to reasons beyond their control, White noted that there were factors at play that the fighters also had to consider. He said, “So how that works is, guys don’t just get paid to not fight. It’s not how that works. Guys have been paid. We’ve taken care of guys. Hey, listen, if you come in, and you’re making short money, we take care of you.” He also clarified that the promotion had even offered Thompson another fight after the Pereira bout was cancelled. However, he did not reveal details about the alternative fight offer. In conclusion, at 40, Thompson continues to be a crucial player in the welterweight division, despite calls for him to retire after previous losses. He promises to continue his hunt for the title for as long as he continues to fight.