Dana White explains why Stephen Thompson won't receive his full show money for making weight at UFC 291

UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson refused to fight at UFC 291 after his opponent Michel Pereira came in three pounds heavier than the non-title limit.

Thompson explained his decision in a social media post, reasoning that he would not risk a result in his desperation to fight. He also outlined a more cautionary approach so as to achieve his championship goals.

In light of Stephen Thompson's refusal to fight, UFC president Dana White has addressed the discussion surrounding his fight pay and clarified that he will not be paid his entire fight purse.

White mentioned that a different opponent was also offered:

“You decided not to fight, the guy was three pounds over weight, you get a piece of his purse if you take the fight... No, you don't just show up and say, 'Yeah, I'm not going to fight, I want a quarter of a million dollars.' That's not how it works... So what we do is why try to get you another fight, try to turn you around quickly. If you don't... then we try to figure out what did it cost for your camp? We'll reimburse you."

White also guaranteed that the UFC is working it out with 'Wonderboy' and his camp:

"There's a lot of different ways that this gets worked out... You don't fight, you don't get paid necessarily in the contract. But we always make sure that we take care of everybody and we're working it out with 'Wonderboy' right now. It's all being worked out behind the scenes and this should all be worked out by Saturday."

Check out White's full comments below [11:54]:

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Stephen Thompson confident that the UFC will 'do right by him' after not fighting at UFC 291

Stephen Thompson has a reputation for being one of the nicest fighters in the UFC. The welterweight holds the same expectation from the UFC, as he mentioned in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.

Stephen Thompson said his camp is discussing the issue with the UFC and expressed his confidence in the promotion:

“At this point my management is talking with the UFC. [I’ve been paid] nothing yet... But I feel like the UFC is going to do right by me... I tried to be as honorable as possible when it comes to signing my contracts and abiding by it and doing what the UFC has said. I’ve done what they’ve wanted of me, and I feel that they’re going to do right by me. Things are still in talks. I think they’re waiting for Dana White to come back from his vacation..."

Check out his comments below [13:40]: