Tony Ferguson has urged the UFC to pay Dustin Poirier what he is asking for to make their proposed bout happen.
The two lightweight contenders were set to tussle at UFC 254 next month until Poirier withdrew from the bout due to a dispute over his pay. According to Poirier, the UFC’s offer for the fight didn’t meet his expectations and the Louisiana-native decided to walk away from the negotiating table.
But with no replacement in sight, Ferguson called out UFC boss Dana White on Twitter, demanding they pay Poirier his worth to make the fight happen.
“Here’s lookin’ at you kid, pay the man @danawhite @ufc Love ya’ll but let’s give hardcore & casual fans what they deserve, a good fight sir.”
Poirier saw the Tweet and responded soon after, showing his appreciation for Ferguson’s efforts to get the ball rolling again: “Tony’s the type of guy who would manage his opponent and get him a new contract for the fight to happen,” he replied.
This isn’t the first time the UFC have been embroiled in a dispute over fighter pay. Earlier this year, Jorge Masvidal and Jon Jones both went on strike after the promotion refused to pay them what they felt they deserved.
Masvidal eventually got a bumper pay deal for his welterweight clash at UFC 252 while Jones is readying himself for a debut at heavyweight, so perhaps the fight isn’t as dead as Dana White said it was when asked about it last week. If Poirier sticks to his guns, it’ll be interesting to see whether the UFC eventually buckle like they have done in the past.
The bad news for Poirier, Ferguson and fight fans is that scenario is probably unlikely. With no shortage of top contenders in arguably the organisation’s most stacked division, the UFC should have no problem finding Ferguson a worthy opponent for next month’s event. Regardless of what happens, it’ll be interesting to see the outcome.
