After Stephen Thompson’s Confession About Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Teammate Comes to UFC Star’s Aid Following Disappointment at UFC 291

Beware the wrath of a patient man. And there are few fighters (or probably even men) more patient than Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. Known for being one of the nicest guys around, he refused to fight Michel Pereira after the latter missed weight at UFC 291. Derrick Lewis vs. Roberto Marcos de Lima was moved up to the main card as a replacement.

Wonderboy explained his decision in a post on his Instagram, hoping to dissuade fighters from missing weight in the future. However, this decision did not go down well with the UFC, who has refused to pay the 40-year-old his show money. Belal Muhammad, the #3 ranked welterweight, and Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s former teammate has come out in support of Thompson’s decision to call off the fight against the Brazilian and explained his reasons to Helen Yee. 

Belal Muhammad reacts to Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson pulling out of his fight at UFC 291

On being asked what he thought about Wonderboy pulling out of the fight, the Chicago native expressed his support and opined that the risk was not worth the reward for Wonderboy. He explained that the welterweight has aspirations for a title shot, and any losses at this point in his career would prove detrimental to that goal. Muhammad believed that Thompson should wait for a bigger and better fight against an opponent who makes weight. 

“Yeah, I think for a guy like Wonderboy, you’re at that point where he wants to try to make that climb back again, right? So one step back if he lost this fight… it’s like there’s probably no road for you to get a title shot. But if he waits, gets a better fight, a bigger fight, um, fights somebody that’s professional, and he gets a win there, then he’s right back in the mix. But I think that the risk wasn’t worth the reward for him, and I understand it.” he told Yee.

Read More – “More Fighters Should Do This”: Stephen Thompson’s Call for Radical Changes After Disappointing UFC 291 Fight Cancellation Sees Pros and Fans Back Veteran Wonderboy

The 40-year-old revealed he was looking forward to the fight but was disappointed to see it fall through. But what about Wonderboy’s show money?

Will Thompson get his show money from the UFC?

Fighter pay in the UFC has two main parts: show money and win money. The former is the amount a fighter makes to show up, and the latter is the amount they get for winning. In theory, if a fighter shows up and makes weight, they should get their show money.

But, the UFC exercises considerable discretion, sometimes paying a fighter for showing up even if their bout falls through. In other cases, the bout has been rescheduled, and the fighter is paid then. In Wonderboy’s case, he revealed that he is talking to the UFC in earnest, hoping Dana White will “do right by” him. 

Whatever the UFC decides to do, it is clear that Wonderboy has been a veritable professional throughout his career. At 40, he is able to compete against and beat fighters a decade younger than him. He is a role model and clearly the NMF (Nicest Mother F***er) of the UFC. It would now be interesting to see what Dana White decides.

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