T. Ferguson ended up not fighting at UFC 209 (PHOTO: Jeff Bottari/UFC)
Light weight Tony Ferguson criticized Ultimate after the controversy at UFC 209 and denied the event, which had announced that he would receive his entire purse even with the cancellation of his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov for the interim lightweight title. The Russian fighter had a health problem and was removed from the show the day before.
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In this type of situation, it is normal for the UFC to pay the full scholarship to the athlete who was not at fault in canceling the fight, despite having no contractual obligation to do so. However, Ferguson claims that he received less than half of what he was promised by Ultimate.
“I did everything I could to get on the scale, make weight and fight. And Dana White told all the fans that the UFC had given me a check and I didn't get any check. So I got a transfer and I looked at the amount and I couldn't believe it. I thought: “Is this really it? Serious?" I didn’t get the full purse, like they said,” Ferguson commented on the North American program The MMA Hour.
The North American also revealed that he rejected a fight with Michael Johnson on the eve of UFC 209, as Ultimate demanded that he receive less than the stipulated amount for his fight with Nurmagomedov. Ferguson argued that he would receive more by not fighting.
“I wanted to avenge my loss and beat Johnson, man. But it wasn't the value I wanted. They wanted me to win something, but I preferred to receive my scholarship, I thought I deserved it. The day before, I accepted a cut in my purse, more than half. It’s frustrating,” she vented.
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