‘I’ve been so broke my whole life because of this sport’ – UFC co-headliner reacts to POTN bonus

Cheyanne Buys beating Gloria de Paula at UFC Vegas 33, | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

The UFC strawweight said she came into last night’s co-main event with a negative balance in her bank account. Due to a slew of figh…


UFC Fight Night: Cheyanne Buys v Gloria de Paula
Cheyanne Buys beating Gloria de Paula at UFC Vegas 33, | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

The UFC strawweight said she came into last night’s co-main event with a negative balance in her bank account.

Due to a slew of fight cancellations, for a myriad of reasons, Cheyanne Buys found herself in the co-main event slot of UFC Vegas 33 last night. There the strawweight, who was making only her second UFC appearance, was matched-up with Gloria de Paula.

Buys maximized her moment in the spotlight with a sensational head kick and finish over de Paula, earning her first win on a UFC card. In beating de Paula, the 26-year-old also secured a $50,000 performance of the night bonus.

In the post-fight press conference Buys spoke about how meaningful that amount of money will be for her life and career in the cage.

“Seven weeks ago I decided to make a big risk and just ditch my house and everything in it in Dallas, Texas,” revealed Buys (ht MMA Fighting). “And I came here with my animals and my husband and we have one vehicle. We packed up our car with one suitcase. We came here, we didn’t have a house, we had nothing. I had to get a loan just to get a house and I knew coming in here tonight that my whole paycheck was just gonna go back to that loan.

“I took a big risk to get a big reward and I can’t thank [enough] my team, my husband, my family because they were the ones that said, ‘Listen, you’re gonna have to go broke for a little bit just to get something good out of this.’ I knew I had to do it and I just feel so happy.”

Buys further stated that she came into the co-main event slot last night with a negative balance in her bank account. She also said that her regular pay check would be pretty much wiped out due to outstanding loans.

“And I’m okay with is,” she said. “I was okay if I won and that check was gone because I made that move out here and I knew that this fight was just gonna be for the move. It was the best decision me and my husband made for our careers and just to get that bonus…

“I’ve been so broke my whole life because of this sport but it’s so worth it to me because I love this sport, but to get a $50,000 paycheck, my husband’s gonna tell me to put it away, I’m definitely gonna want to buy some nice stuff, but I like to buy a little bit of things for the house and for my animals. I really like to spoil my family, but this week I’m definitely taking my team to go get a nice dinner. It’s life-changing for sure, but I’ve got to put the money away and just go out there and fight again.”

After appearances in Invicta and LFA Buys was invited to compete on the Contender Series in 2020. There she beat Hilarie Rose to earn a shot in the promotion proper.

Her full UFC debut was a losing effort versus Montserrat Ruiz. That bout featured an unusual amount of animosity and trash talk. In the aftermath of that bout Buys accused Ruiz of spitting on her. Ruiz denied that allegation.