Dana White questioned as worrying UFC trend | Sports News

The UFC prides itself on delivering the largest spectacles, titan clashes, and history-making actions, however followers and fighters alike are growing stressed over an sudden dry spell of 4 consecutive occasions with out a Fight of the Night bonus.

UFC Vegas 105 wrapped up over the weekend and noticed featherweight Lerone Murphy emerge victorious in opposition to Josh Emmett within the night time’s fundamental occasion. Outside the night time of fights, bonus payouts shortly grew to become a level of dialogue online, with followers questioning whether or not this financial sample would bleed into the following pay-per-view at UFC 314 in Miami.

Bonus payouts show that the group continues to award round $200k value of bonuses per occasion. Instead of awarding a assured combat of the night time award, the UFC has incentivized particular person performances inside the octagon more.

The $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus has historically been a cornerstone of UFC occasions, rewarding each athletes who go above and past to ship a back-and-forth warfare that may make followers need a rematch. But for the fourth occasion in a row, the UFC declined to call any bout worthy of the distinction.

In its place, the promotion caught to awarding 4 separate $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses. UFC Vegas 105 joins UFC Vegas 104, UFC London, and UFC Mexico City during the streak. Dana White was questioned after the cardboard by a fan who wrote, “It’s been four weeks since the UFC has awarded a Fight of the Night bonus. Last one was at UFC 313 on March 8. Are we phasing those out? Just not doing them for Fight Nights anymore? Somebody lose the checkbook? Have the fights just been that bad?”

Each of these playing cards featured a number of finishes, with UFC Vegas 105 having 4 stoppages in 12 fights together with three TKO punches. Despite this, the group opted to skip the Fight of the Night award and gave bonuses to Lee Chang-ho for his fundamental card knockout, Ode’ Osbourne and Rhys McKee. Dione Barbosa additionally earned a bonus as the one submission value $50k.

MMA followers mentioned the polarizing matter online, debating on the promotion’s latest run of combat high quality. One fan stated: “A lot of the fights suck anymore. It’s almost like a lot of fighters step in the ring just to collect a paycheck. It really sucks sitting there for hours, and maybe getting to see one or two good fights. Starting to feel like a big waste of time.”

Another fan added: “I think they haven’t been good enough personally. If no one has a fight that stands out in any way, I don’t think they should give one. It would kinda take away the incentive to have a good match if you just handed one out regardless of the quality of fights.”

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The stress is on with UFC 314 simply across the nook, happening in Miami and headlined by a vacant featherweight title conflict between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes. If a main pay-per-view card additionally ends with out a Fight of the Night, followers might have a look at a new period the place that bonus is no longer assured or even perhaps quietly phased out.

For now, fighters will keep preventing, and followers will keep watching, with the UFC’s bonus strategy below a microscope.