Tony Ferguson’s first shot at UFC gold did not go according to plan. In fact, he never made it to the octagon in Las Vegas last Saturday night — but not for lack of trying. While Ferguson weighed in, and made weight, opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov did not. Instead, “The Eagle” landed in hospital, and the bout was called off.
Ferguson was understandably upset, but the good news was that it appeared the lightweight star would still be paid his show money – reportedly $250,000. At the post-fight press conference following the event, UFC President Dana White seemed to confirm that, stating that “He got paid. He did get paid. Yeah, he did.”
Apparently, however, getting paid doesn’t necessarily mean being paid in full. Speaking to MMAJunkie, Ferguson has revealed that he was paid less than half his show money for the event, which he saw as a “slap in the face.”
I didn’t get a check, and then this morning I got my wire, and I’m looking at it and I’m like, ‘What the frick, man?’ I’m like, ‘Seriously?’
MMAJunkie cited a UFC official requesting anonymity stating that Ferguson had been previously advised that his compensation would not amount to his full show money. It should be noted that the Nevada State Athletic Commission does not require a promoter pay a fighter if a fight is called off when an opponent misses weight. However, the UFC at various times in the past has paid fighters show money in the event of cancelled bouts. At UFC 201, Ian McCall, for example, was paid both his show and win money when opponent Justin Scoggins missed weight. That, however, was a far cry from the quarter of a million dollars Ferguson would have made.
