Report: Top-ranked fighter will not be compensated for last-minute UFC 291 fight cancelation despite making weight - ‘Straight trash’

Stephen Thompson may or may not have made the right decision to not fight Michel Pereira following a scale fail for UFC 291 tonight (Sat., July 29, 2023) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, but “Wonderboy” definitely won’t be receiving his show money despite making weight.

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Thompson’s matchup was one of the most anticipated on a stacked UFC 291 PPV main card. “Wonderboy” was coming off a great showing against Kevin Holland last December and was hoping to cement himself into the welterweight title picture once again. Unfortunately, Pereira missed weight by three pounds on Friday and put the matchup in doubt.

Surprisingly, Thompson and UFC failed to come to terms on a deal that would have kept the matchup on the UFC 291 card. It’s unknown if any amount of money would have swayed “Wonderboy” to take the fight considering his explanation for not accepting new terms. It’s yet another instance of bad weight management ruining an exciting fight.

Whether or not Thompson made the right decision for UFC 291 he still should have received his show money. The former UFC welterweight title challenger is a ranked veteran fighter who successfully made weight. His opponent, Pereira, did not. Thompson should have been compensated in some sort of way, but according to a report by MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn he will not be.

As expected, this report sparked much discussion among UFC fight fans. Majority of people were supportive when it came to Thompson’s decision to withdraw, but others were upset they missed out on a “Wonderboy” vs. Pereira showdown.

Check out some of the reaction below

“If that’s true that’s straight trash, he did his job not his fault Michel missed weight, again.” - @SportsGuyJason

“Definitely not the right thing to do but makes sense. Makes a decent chunk, denied the fight, brass not happy.” - @ZzccMMA

“That’s horrible. Absolutely awful. He deserves show + win. It’s not his fault Michele can’t properly cut weight.” - @the_mmatrix

“Really sad to treat a legend and company-man like that. Really really sad.” - @remax1991

“He doesn’t deserve it tbh.” - @fromcrazyMtns

For complete UFC 291 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.