UFC fighter thanks Dana White and Sean Shelby after being "paid in full" following fight cancelation
A UFC fighter has expressed his gratitude towards the organization's president Dana White and matchmaker Sean Shelby after he was paid despite his bout being canceled. He has claimed that the UFC paid him the complete sum he would've made if the bout had proceeded as scheduled.
The fighter in question is UFC lightweight Natan Levy. The Israeli fighter was booked to face US MMA stalwart Pete Rodriguez in a lightweight bout at the UFC Vegas 72 event on April 29. However, Rodriguez withdrew from the fight after reportedly falling ill.
Their matchup was rebooked to take place at the UFC Charlotte event on May 13. However, the fight fell apart yet again. This time, Rodriguez pulled out as he suffered from weight management issues and couldn't cut down to the non-title lightweight bout limit of 156 pounds.
Resultantly, Natan Levy didn't compete in either event. In fact, he hasn't fought since December 2022.
Regardless, the 31-year-old has now taken to Twitter to reveal that the UFC has paid him even though his fight didn't materialize. The lightweight, who's managed by Iridium Sports Agency, thanked Dana White and Sean Shelby, saying:
"Wanted to let everyone know the #UFC took care of me and paid me in full after the fight cancelation. Thank you @UFC @danawhite @seanshelby It is greatly appreciated @TeamIridiumISA"
🏼 Wanted to let everyone know the #UFC took care of me and paid me in full after the fight cancelation.
Thank you @UFC @danawhite @seanshelby
It is greatly appreciated 🙏🏼
@TeamIridiumISA
When Dana White defended concealing UFC fighter pay from the media
On one hand, the MMA world witnesses fighters like Natan Levy praise the UFC's fighter pay. Alternatively, there have been other instances where fighters have lambasted the organization over issues like fighter pay and restrictive agreements.
Speaking to Pat McAfee on The Pat McAfee Show last year, Dana White addressed the long-standing criticisms against him and the UFC regarding fighter pay. The UFC head honcho alluded to the fact that the exact pay accorded to the organization's athletes generally isn't revealed to the MMA media. He indicated that this is because he can't stand the media and doesn't trust them.
No major sports organization pays its athletes as poorly as Dana White & UFC. If u don’t see that then you are one of Dana’s sheeps.
They keep talking about selling out 21 events in a row but never talking about raising fighter pay, giving them healthcare & fair revenue split. twitter.com/grosenstein/st…
Amid accusations of low fighter pay from UFC veterans such as Francis Ngannou — who, at the time, was still with the UFC — Dana White emphasized that the UFC athletes are paid what they deserve. He insinuated that the media is unlikely to report fairly, which is why he doesn't let them in on the exact fighter pay.
White notably opined that this lack of knowledge drives the media crazy. He stated:
"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 contractually obligated to make. And that's every single fighter on the roster makes more than they are contracted to make. Fighter pay has gone up."
Watch White's assessment below: