Why did Alex Pereira win $303,000 after UFC 303 victory? 'Poatan' details how he played Dana White for bonus prize
Alex Pereira's UFC 303 bonus of $303,000 was symbolic, as it mirrors the event number UFC 303 itself. But what were the circumstances under which he earned it? 'Poatan' recently shared a video of himself on his YouTube channel, where he detailed the events leading up to his bonus.
When asked by the interviewer if he won $50,000 or $303,000 for his thunderous knockout of Jiří Procházka, 'Poatan' clarified that it was the latter. He also touched on the fact that he called for such a bonus back at UFC 300 after knocking out another former light heavyweight champion in Jamahal Hill.
"I won the $303,000. I said in the octagon at UFC 300, I should have won it, didn't give it to me. So, I played around there, saying I didn't understand during the interview, when the reporter asked Dana White if the bonus would be $303,000, as he did at UFC 300. So, I said I understood that it was $303,000. So, I played with that."
He then detailed how he convinced White to award him the aforementioned bonus, doing so while he was receiving treatment for his broken toe.
"So, I played with that. When I left the octagon to do medical work, everything went well, then we had a talk with the organization, Dana White. Then, he said, 'I gave you the bonus of the fight.' Then I said to him, '$303,000?' Then he laughed and said, 'No, $50,000' and I was like, 'At the interview, they asked you. I don't understand English and I understood it was $303,000.' Then he laughed again and said, 'Okay, fine, $303,000 for you,' then I thanked him."
Check out Alex Pereira's comments about his UFC 303 bonus (14:50):
Now, with UFC 303 behind him, Pereira will look to convince the promotion to allow him an undisputed heavyweight title fight with Jon Jones.
Alex Pereira saved the UFC 303 card
After Conor McGregor withdrew from his UFC 303 welterweight bout with Michael Chandler due to a broken toe, the event was in need of a new headliner. The promotion called on light heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira, who was nursing his own broken toe.
He was asked to defend his title against Jiří Procházka in a rematch, with just two weeks to prepare. 'Poatan' accepted and authored his most dominant performance yet. Given his efforts, it was only natural that White was willing to compensate him more than usual.