Stephen Thompson reveals he still hasn’t been given his show money for UFC 291
Stephen Thompson is still waiting to be compensated for making weight and showing up to the UFC 291 weigh-ins.
Thompson was booked to face Michel Pereira at last weekend’s UFC 291 event. However, the fight was scrapped after the Brazilian failed to make the welterweight limit by three pounds. He weighed in at 174 pounds, while the non-title limit is 171 pounds. ‘Wonderboy,’ who weighed in successfully at 170.5 pounds, chose not to go ahead with the fight at catchweight.
Despite Stephen Thompson completing an entire training camp, he isn’t sure if he’ll get paid for all the blood, sweat, and tears he put into making weight. However, the welterweight mainstay remains optimistic about the UFC doing right by him.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Thompson shared an update about the status of his payment and said:
“At this point, my management is talking to the UFC, nothing yet. I know Dana White is on vacation. The guy is a workaholic, so well deserved, but I feel like the UFC is going to do right by me. I’ve done everything that I’m supposed to do… I’ve done what they wanted of me, and I feel like they’re going to do right by me. Things are still in talks. I think they’re waiting for Dana White to come back from his vacation, and we’ll go from there.”
Watch the full video below:
Chael Sonnen calls for the UFC to pay Stephen Thompson his dues
Former UFC middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen recently weighed in on the Stephen Thompson pay issue and called for the promotion to make the welterweight striking maestro whole.
As mentioned above, ‘Wonderboy’ hasn’t received payment for going through a whole training camp and successfully making weight. While fighter pay is typically segregated into ‘show’ money and ‘win’ money, the UFC reserves the right to decide if a fighter who makes weight and is ready to fight gets the show money if the bout falls through.
While it’s unclear if Stephen Thompson will get paid, Chael Sonnen recently voiced his support for the welterweight striker. In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, he said:
“I stand with Stephen. I stand with Thompson on this one… This was about an honor and a respect that goes deeper than just this organization, you and I both know the deal and you and I both know you can’t [miss weight]… Why should Thompson be punished?”
Watch the full video below:
