In a situation playing out similarly to that of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson, the attempt to book welterweight contender Leon Edwards against rising prospect Khamzat Chimaev in a UFC main event has failed for a third time.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported Friday that the March 13th main event is off again due to the condition of Chimaev’s lungs following a battle with COVID-19. Dana White (seen above) told Okamoto that Chimaev will have to go back on medication and plans for the fight have been scrapped.
The UFC has been trying to make the fight happen since December with all efforts thwarted due to both men contracting the virus at different times.
White said they are looking to book a new opponent and possibly a new date for Edwards. The England native hasn’t fought since last July due to the pandemic and has been looking for a high profile opponent to help capitalize on an eight fight winning streak dating back to May 2016. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson tweeted that he would like to fight Edwards.
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In an interview with the New York Post, White gave some rare insight into the UFC’s discretionary bonus system.
White said that in 2020, their announced $50,000 “of the night” bonuses added up to $8.4 million with $4.6 million doled out in discretionary bonuses, adding up to just under $13 million total.
White said that his general practice is that he writes a check for between $4000 to $25,000 for everyone who “delivered” on a card “depending on what I thought of their fight.” The higher amounts go to those who were in the running for the nightly bonuses.
It’s unclear why White wanted to talk about the bonus structure given his past stance on revealing any financial details about fighter pay, something he reiterated in the interview.