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Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson did his job making weight for his fight at UFC 291, but the same couldn’t be said for his opponent, Michel Pereira, who hit the scale at 174 pounds.
That led to Thompson’s decision to decline a catchweight affair after Pereira came in three pounds over the welterweight limit in the non-title fight. The bout was ultimately scrapped from the card. In the aftermath of the cancellation, Thompson didn’t receive any compensation from the UFC, though he hopesthat will change in the coming days.
“At this point my management is talking with the UFC,” Thompson said of his pay (first reported by MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn) on The MMA Hour. “[I’ve been paid] nothing yet. I know [UFC President] Dana White’s on vacation. That guy’s a workaholic, so well deserved, but I feel like the UFC is going to do right by me.
“I’ve done everything that I am supposed to do. I tried to be as honorable as possible when it comes to signing my contracts and abiding by it and doing what the UFC has said. I’ve done what they’ve wanted of me, and I feel that 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. But at this point, nothing.”
White was absent from UFC 291 while on vacation in Italy, so Thompson believes he’ll find out more about a potential payment once the UFC president returns to action.
While he’s still waiting on the final decision, the two-time UFC welterweight title challenger admits it would be hard not to get upset if the promotion opts not to offer any kind of compensation.
“100 percent, yes, I’ll be disappointed,” Thompson said. “Who wouldn’t be? When you show up and you’re on point, and you have done nothing wrong and your opponent has. It would just really stink if that was the case
“But me being the positive guy that I am, I feel like they’re going to do right by me. That’s why I’m still smiling right now.”
Ideally, Thompson would like to see the UFC add a provision to future bout agreements that protects fighters who are faced with similar decisions. He is still on the hook for his full training camp, and that cost will now come out of his pocket, unless the UFC comes through with payment.
“There should be something black and white in the contract,” Thompson said. “So that way the fighter’s covered if anything happens, you’re covered.
“Because a lot of people don’t realize what is involved in running a camp for a fight. How much money you spend, the people you bring in to train you, your coaches. I’ve got five coaches and plus a nutritionist, plus my physical therapy that I spend more on now. I was the oldest guy on the card actually this past weekend.
“You spend a lot of money on preparing for a fight. I try not to think about it, but people don’t know how much you go through and how much a camp is. Just going through that for this to happen is crazy.”
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