Raging ‘Bull’ Unhappy With Australian Tax Slashing UFC 293 Payout

John Makdessi didn’t have an ideal result on his recent trip down under.

UFC 293 was the 20th walk to the Octagon for Canada’s “Bull,” Makdessi. Unfortunately for the Halifax, Nova Scotia native, he suffered his ninth career UFC defeat (18-9 overall) against Jamie Mullarkey via unanimous decision.

Makdessi joined the promotion in 2010, which made him the longest-tenured fighter of the 24 who fought this past weekend (Sept. 9, 2023). For his first bout in Australia, Makdessi was upset to see the whopping deductions taken from his $58,000 fight purse as seen in the embedded image above.

“I sacrificed my whole life for this sport and put everything on the line,” Makdessi said in a since-deleted Tweet (h/t MMA Fighting). “Damn Australian government and the judges robbed me pretty badly.”

The invoice shared by Makdessi displayed deductions from medical, airfare, and other before federal tax took 45 percent of his pay. Therefore, leaving Makdessi with $28,461.65.

Makdessi’s Mullarkey loss put him on a two-fight skid. The 38-year-old Lightweight veteran last saw his hand raised with a split decision over Ignacio Bahomondes in April 2021. Makdessi’s most notable victories throughout his 27-fight career include Ross Pearson, Abel Trujillo, Mehdi Baghdad, Sam Stout, and Daron Cruickshank.