Chris Weidman questions not getting paid full purse despite UFC 309 fight cancellation

Chris Weidman revealed he won’t be fully compensated after his UFC 309 fight was canceled last minute.

Weidman (16-7 MMA, 12-7 UFC) was scheduled to fight Eryk Anders less than two weeks ago at Madison Square Garden in New York, but the fight was canceled on the night when Anders fell ill and wasn’t cleared to compete.

It was a devastating blow for the former UFC middleweight champion, who had friends and family fly in to watch him fight. Weidman does, however, appreciate the UFC for trying to find a last-minute replacement.

“They’re going to take care of me. They’re doing something for me,” Weidman said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I’m not getting my full purse. I’ll put that out there, which it’s tough. You show up, you do everything right, and you don’t get it. … They also said that they were trying to find another opponent for me, I guess, that whole day.

“They were looking for 205 pounders that either fought that day or anybody in the area, trying to do one of those Dan Ige-type situations. Apparently the New York commission was not going to allow anything on that type of short notice. So, that’s what stopped that from happening.”

Weidman’s fight with Anders (16-8 MMA, 8-8 UFC) has been rescheduled for UFC 310 on Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Although he disagrees with not receiving his full purse since, Weidman explained why the UFC opted not to pay him entirely.

“My show money is my win money,” Weidman said. “I have guaranteed money, so that was my point. I showed up. You guys had that on the budget sheet to begin with, you guys made a great night, why do you guys keep that money, and I don’t? That was my thought. Their thoughts were, ‘Listen, this happens on 40 percent of the cards, and if we paid people to not fight’ – they just want to be consistent on what they do in those situations.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.