The promotion might ͏be faci͏ng trouble once again ov͏er fig͏h͏ter pay issues, as Chr͏is Weid͏man has called out the UFC for ͏w͏ithholding his h͏ard-earned m͏oney. What exactly did the ͏veteran fighter say about the controversy? Stick͏ around a͏s we bring yo͏u ͏another edit͏ion of our roundup, c͏overing the latest buzz from the past 24 ho͏urs in bit͏e-sized pieces.

From the Chris Weidman pay issue, we will move on to another ranking fiasco update coming from the bantamweight division after the UFC Macau and finally we will end our roundup with news about Cris Cyborg, who has called out Claressa Shields as bad blood between the fighters reaches its boiling point. So, without any further ado, let’s get started.

Chris Weidman left frustrated by the UFC’s payment structure

Chris Weidman was supposed to fight Eryk Andres at UFC 309. However, his opponent pulled out of the fight due to food poisoning, and their fight was canceled. According to the veteran, UFC fighters should be compensated dearly for it because he never pulled out of the clash. Weidman has called out the promotion in his recent take for giving him the showcase money as he has yet to receive the amount in his bank account.

While having a conversation with Ariel Helwani, Weidman emphasized that the UFC should release his money, “My show money is my win money. I have guaranteed money. So that was my point—like, I showed up, you guys had that on the budget sheet, to begin with, you guys had a great night, why do you guys get to keep that money and I don’t? That was my thought. Their thoughts were, ‘Listen, this happens on like 40% of the cards, and if we paid people to not fight…’ They just want to be consistent on what they do in those situations.”

Every fight is supposed to get an already decided amount to show up for the fight and Chris Weidman argues that he has yet to receive it. Regardless, the fighter last fought in UFC Atlantic City which he won by a unanimous decision but it was highly controversial as his opponent, Bruno Silva, accused him of intentional eye pokes. Well, now that we know about Weidman’s rant, let us move forward to the rankings after UFC Macau.

Dana White might again fume at the ranking department after UFC Macau

Last week, UFC Macau delivered one of the most en͏tertaining cards in the Chinese region.͏ In the b͏antamweight divisi͏on͏, Petr ͏Yan͏ and Deiveson Figueiredo went ͏to war, b͏ut i͏n th͏e end, it was Yan wh͏o had͏ the͏ ͏l͏ast laugh. Meanwhile, Tabatha Ricci and Ya͏n Xia͏onan battl͏ed ͏for st͏rawwe͏ight dominance, with Xiaon͏an ultimately em͏ergi͏ng victorio͏us͏. Although the fig͏h͏ts were thrilling, they didn’t significantly impact the rankin͏gs.

Why? Well, that’s because of the fact that there have been no changes in the bantamweight division after the Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo matchup and in addition to that there have been no changes in the strawweight division after the bout between Tabatha Ricci and Ya͏n Xia͏onan. It would not be wrong to state that the fighters achieved nothing despite their amazing performances.

The biggest winner of the UFC Macau was Carlos Ulberg who has now jumped three spots to No. 7 at light heavyweight in the latest rankings update, while his opponent, Volkan Oezdemir slips one spot to No. 9. Well, Dana White might not be happy after the recent ranking update considering the fact that the UFC CEO is already making plans to have AI do these stuff. Regardless, now that we know about the rankings, let us move forward to the final news of the day.

Cris Cyborg threatens Claressa Shields as rivalry reaches boiling point

The rivalry between Claressa Shields and Cris Cyborg is heating up as both fighters could fight each other sooner than expected. Cyborg recently defeated two-time PFL champ Larissa Pacheco earlier this year at Battle of the Giants and she still has one more fight left in her contract. As the veteran fighter is nearing her retirement age, star boxer Claressa Shields might be her final opponent, as both the fighters have called each other out.

In her latest confession, Cyborg has openly threatened to drop Shields by a suplex further strengthening their rivalry. “In a real fight I suplex [Claressa Shields] on her head. If she wants a boxing match, tell her to put down the cookies and chips and make 147. If she can’t make weight, tell her to sign the [PFL] deal and we can do it at an open weight, no weigh-in,” Cyborg wrote on her X handle.

As of now, Shields has not responded to Cyborg’s words. Regardless, what’s your take on the situation? State your thoughts in the comments below.