Former UFC fighter reveals how actual fight purse figures are not disclosed to the commissions and media
Former UFC and Bellator fighter Josh Thomson has claimed that actual fight purses were not fully disclosed to the media after the controversy surrounding Bellator 290's main event pay.
Bellator 290 was headlined by Ryan Bader and Fedor Emelianenko for the heavyweight title. The bout was scheduled to be the Russian veteran's last fight as a professional, win, lose or draw.
The champ came to spoil the show, however, as he dominated 'The Last Emperor' from the off before TKOing him in the first round.
Ryan Bader stops Fedor in the first round at #Bellator290
(via @BellatorMMA) https://t.co/LKJLfP2IH8
Following the culmination of the event, Bader and Emelianenko's fight purses were disclosed to the media, which drew heavy criticism from fans. According to the purses released by the California commission, Ryan Bader only earned $150,000 for his victory, whereas Emelianenko took home $100,000.
California released disclosed purses for #Bellator290. 💰
Full story: bit.ly/3YnQ5Gb https://t.co/jj7vBU15OF
Due to heavy criticism that Bellator received, former fighter-turned-analyst Josh Thomson took to Instagram to defunct the figures shown by the Californian commission.
According to 'The Punk', both main event fighters would have taken home significantly more money:
"People, this is not anywhere near what they make. I've done this several times in several promotions, the allows you to see what you make by disclosing a portion of their purse to the commission that later is public record. I was making close to 7 figures but only disclosed 10k-15k to commission. These numbers aren't anywhere near what they made and the media knows this."
UFC president Dana White doesn't consider Fedor Emelianenko an MMA GOAT
Following Fedor Emelianenko's decision to call time on his glittering career, UFC president Dana White was asked about the Russian heavyweight's legacy in MMA.
According to White, 'The Last Emperor's decision not to sign with the UFC throughout his career means he can't be considered a GOAT. The 53-year-old believes the UFC house the best talent in all divisions, and Emelianenko failed to test himself against the toughest competition.
At the UFC Vegas 68 post-fight press conference, White said:
"I don't wanna s**t on the guy. You know, he's retiring tonight and all that stuff. I mean, you guys know the old interviews with me... I mean, he got knocked out by middleweight Dan Henderson. You know what I mean? I think some of the guys in the business [and] people liked him. So, they praised him. He never got to test himself over here. But I never was one of the guys that thought he was one of the greatest of all time."
Catch the full media scrum below: