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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Bellator MMA, along with ONE Championship and Professional Fighters League (PFL), were forced to cancel several mixed martial arts (MMA) fight cards after the coronavirus pandemic brought a temporary halt to live events.
Some fighters got paid, others got fired.
“I’m told the fighters who were slated to compete on the ill-fated (UFC) London card on March 21 received no more than $20,000,” ESPN reporter Ariel Helwani said. “As you can imagine, some of the higher earners aren’t too pleased with that amount, while others were happy to get something for nothing.”
Doesn’t sound too shabby on the surface, except…
“I got more than double $20k from Bellator,” former UFC bantamweight and Project Spearhead Interim President Leslie Smith wrote on Twitter. “And Bellator has a life insurance policy. Feeling good about my career choices right now.”
The outspoken Smith was paid to “go away” back in early 2018 and quickly aligned herself with Bellator MMA, where she was set to collide with Jessy Miele as part of the since-scratched Bellator 241: “Pitbull vs. Carvalho” event last month in Uncasville.
I guess UFC President Dana White wasn’t kidding when he said this.