No Pay? ‘I’ve Done Everything That I Am Supposed To’

Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson missed out on the action at UFC 291 this past weekend (July 29, 2023).

Originally slated to compete on the main card opposite flashy Brazilian striker, Michel Pereira, Thompson lost out on the opportunity after Pereira missed the 171-pound Welterweight limit by three pounds. Thompson and the promotion ultimately couldn’t come to an agreement on salvaging the bout as the two-time title challenger and his time decided it wasn’t the smartest decision to go through with. As a result, Thompson has yet to receive his show money for the weight-cutting effort put forth.

“At this point, my management is talking with the UFC,” Thompson said of his pay on The MMA Hour. “[I’ve been paid] nothing yet. I know [UFC President] Dana White’s on vacation. That guy’s a workaholic, so well deserved, but I feel like the UFC is going to do right by me.

“I’ve done everything that I am supposed to do,” he continued. “I tried to be as honorable as possible when it comes to signing my contracts and abiding by it and doing what the UFC has said. I’ve done what they’ve wanted of me, and I feel that they’re going to do right by me. Things are still in talks. I think they’re waiting for Dana White to come back from his vacation, and we’ll go from there. But at this point, nothing.”

“Wonderboy” has yet to appear inside the Octagon in 2023, defeating Kevin Holland in a thrilling late 2022 headliner (watch highlights). The fourth round technical knockout (doctor’s stoppage) win got Thompson back in the win column after suffering back-to-back losses against Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad.

It’s no guarantee that Thompson will get paid at all for UFC 291, and if not, he’ll be unsurprisingly upset.

“100 percent, yes, I’ll be disappointed,” Thompson said. “Who wouldn’t be? When you show up and you’re on point, and you have done nothing wrong and your opponent has. It would just really stink if that was the case

“But me being the positive guy that I am, I feel like they’re going to do right by me,” he concluded. “That’s why I’m still smiling right now.”