UFC London fighters to be compensated for cancelled card
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Some welcome news, for a change.
Three weeks after UFC London was called off due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we finally have our answer as to whether or not fighters would receive any percentage of their respective fight purses.
Several fighters told MMA Fighting that they’ll receive their base pay for the event, which was due to take place at The O2 Arena on March 14th. Middleweight Marvin Vettori, who was supposed to fight Darren Stewart, took to social media to thank the UFC for what we can only assume is confirmation of compensation.
Thank to the @ufc for taking care of me for the London card situation, I’ve been all in from day 1 in this and it’s good to see that even in hard times like these the work im doing is being recognized.
— Marvin Vettori (@MarvinVettori) April 1, 2020
Always ready always working
Thank you @ufc @danawhite @Mickmaynard2
UFC London was supposed to be headlined by a welterweight bout between former champion Tyron Woodley and English contender Leon Edwards. When government restrictions in the UK tightened, holding the show in London was off the table. The UFC tried to salvage the card by placing it in a tribal casino in Oklahoma, but stricter US guidelines left them no choice but to pull the plug. Edwards would not have been able to compete on the event anyway.
There’s no word yet on whether the fighters who were due to fight on UFC Columbus (March 28th) or UFC Portland (April 11th) will also be paid.