"What are you on, buddy?" - UFC fighter Nathaniel Wood reveals how Dana White came to his rescue in the UK
UFC president Dana White is undeniably one of the most successful businessmen in combat sports today. As he leads one of the world's largest MMA promotions, his relationship with the promotion's fighters frequently makes headlines.
In an interview, UFC featherweight competitor Nathaniel Wood opened up about Dana White stepping up to help him in the UK:
"You know, I had a fight in London where the guy pulled out the day before, and unfortunately, I couldn't fight, it was too late. I saw Dana and they didn't actually have to pay me anything. I saw Dana and I said, 'You know, I was gutted I couldn't fight on the card.' I sort of hinted, 'Is there a little bit of compensation to cover some expenses?' And he just said to me, 'What are you on, buddy? What's your fight purse?' I think it was 29 and 29. He just tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Mate, I'll pay you everything and the win bonus.'"
Wood further added:
"So yeah, my experience with Dana, you know, a lot of people give him stick and I don't know him well enough to say that, who he is as a person. All I can say is [my] experience with him and Brad Pickett, who is my coach, who I trust. So, if Brad says good things about someone, you know, for me that's also a positive."
Check out the X (formerly Twitter) post below:
Dana White is often criticized for the paychecks the UFC fighters receive. Jake Paul is one of his many critics in this regard.
However, Nathaniel Wood shared a story where White assured him of his paycheck, including the win bonus, even though he didn't fight. This all resulted from Vince Morales pulling out of UFC Fight Night 204, leaving Wood without an opponent at London's O2 Arena in 2022, forcing the cancellation of their scheduled bout.
Anthony Taylor accuses Dana White of discrimination against black UFC fighters
MMA competitor-turned-boxer Anthony Taylor came down heavily on UFC President Dana White, accusing him of mistreating black fighters. Taylor took to his X (formerly Twitter) and responded to a post regarding Sean O'Malley's bantamweight title win over Aljamain Sterling.
Check out the X post below: