MMA News Roundup: UFC fighter puts lightning fast RNC on prankster, Dana White claims fighter pay has gone up, Julianna Pena had plans to lock Amanda Nunes in a room with a bear
Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.
In the latest issue, we talk about a former title challenger teaching a prankster a lesson in the gym, Dana White defending the promotion's fighter pay, and more.
#3. Gilbert Burns pulls no punches with prankster
Pranking people on camera is always a risky endeavor, as one never knows how the person will react. One such prankster found himself on the wrong end of the deal trying to mess with Gilbert Burns and his training partner Jared Gordon.
As the two were grappling on the mat, a man appeared and questioned the fighters' ground game:
"This jiu-jitsu sh*t ain't gonna fly on the street, on god."
He got about two seconds before Burns took him down and locked him in a rear-naked choke hold. Clearly panicking, the man repeatedly stated, "It's a prank," pointing towards the camera.
It is possible that the man's insulting words instigated Burns, but it is equally possible that him walking on to the mat with slippers on was another reason behind the Brazilian's reaction. Before tripping the prankster, Burns did point at his pair of shoes, which is a sign of disrespect if worn on the grappling mat and also a potential source of infections.
Watch the video below:
#2. UFC fighters make more than what they're contracted to make: Dana White
Fighter pay is a long-running issue now, which Dana White often has to address at most media events. Especially after he recently gave away $250k to one of the Nelk Boys on his birthday, fans and former UFC fighters started condemning him and asking him to pay a similar amount to his fighters.
After being knocked out last weekend, a GoFundMe for Bea Malecki has popped up.
She wrote on her birthday IG post “Plz tell me that becoming 30, being broke and getting knocked out is the new sexy???” https://t.co/2vhLFTHAe1
In an interview with Pat McAfee on his show, the UFC president expressed his frustration with the fighter pay allegations and asked the haters on the internet to "go f***" themselves. He also claimed that fighter pay has indeed gone up:
"First of all, no promoter in the history of the world has done what we have done. And when you talk about fighter pay, we're the only promoter in the history of the world ever, that pays people more than what they are actually contracted to make. And that's every single fighter on the roster makes more than they are contracted to make. Fighter pay has gone up."
As to why full fighter pay details are not disclosed to the media, White said that he doesn't share that information with the press because he "can't stand them" and "doesn't trust them."
#1. Julianna Pena had epic pranks planned to play on Amanda Nunes - one of them involved a bear
Julianna Pena showed a different side to her during the TUF 30 episodes. She was an energetic presence in the locker room and was the biggest cheerleader of the young guns in her team.
To give fans more drama and entertainment, she apparently had some 'epic' pranks planned for her counterpart, Pena revealed during the UFC 277 media day. She wanted to lock Amanda Nunes in a room with a bear with the help of Hollywood stuntmaster Johnny Knoxville:
"I will tell you that Johnny Knoxville was involved, and that they had a bear. And we were going to lock [Amanda Nunes] in a room, and when she walks in she’s going to see this gigantic bear, and [we’d] lock the door, and she can’t get out and start freaking out."
However, the plan went kaput despite Dana White being on board initially because it was too small a timeframe to get the wild animal accustomed to the room it was to be kept in. Pena suggested "tigers and midgets" next to scare Nunes, but that plan was rejected as well.
Watch Pena's UFC 277 press conference below:
The two are scheduled for a rematch at UFC 277 to decide if Pena's previous win was a fluke or if it is indeed the end of Nunes' incredible bantamweight reign.