There were two fights that did not happen Saturday night at UFC on ESPN +31 due to health issues. When asked during the post-fight press conference, White stated that those fighters that made weight would be paid “some” money but not the show money that they were contracted to receive in the bout agreements.
Via MMA Fighting, “they got paid “some” money but they didn’t get their show money,” said White. Although the question was there, the reporter did not follow up with how much was “some”?
White indicated that there would be a quick turnaround for these fighters and suggested that Derrick Holland, one of the fighters that was unable to fight on Saturday would fight next week. Ed Herman had his fight cancelled as his opponent, Gerald Meerschaert tested positive for the Coronavirus. Another bout saw Ray Borg drop out of his fight against Johnny Munoz although a replacement was found for Borg. Bout agreements, in general, indicate that they would not receive their show money until the fight begins.
Although White said it quickly, it cannot be mistaken that the fact is that these fighters that had to go through COVID-19 testing, weight-cut while dealing with social distance measures were not paid their contract amount for showing up on weight for their fight. Through no fault of their own, the fights were cancelled. They are at the mercy of the UFC to be given an amount that is not via contract. This is the concern. Obviously, its nice for the UFC to do this but with the company doing well during the pandemic and that these fighters took extra risk to train and fight during it one might think they may deserve the show money.
The argument that will be countered is that these fighters did not actually fight and the purse money should not be thought of as a fight that will count against the number they have under their existing contract. Therefore, Zuffa retains their rights despite the fact that they were ready to fight but it fell through. Now, the fighters have to play nice here because they would like to have a fight, sooner than later and the worse thing that could happen is to be put on hold after having trained and been ready for the fight.
It would seem that the company should accommodate these fighters for making weight on the date they promised. Instead, the UFC does not pay them on the day they promise. While there is contractual legalese that likely absolves them from legal neglect, the actual professional displayed by the company to its contracted fighter is neglectful.
The life of a fighter in the UFC.
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