Some fighters would defend the promotion and what it stands for at any given time. Sean O’Malley is one; Dustin Poirier is another. Top honcho Dana White’s loyalty to the fighters is one reason why. Now, contrastingly, ‘Diamond’ has called on the loyalty of yet another promotion for the same.
Dustin Poirier cornered American Top Team (ATT) stablemate Sabah Homasi at Bellator 299: Eblen vs. Ewards in Dublin. After an unpleasant short stint in the UFC, Homasi always said he was glad to transition to Bellator MMA. However, that all changed when PFL acquired major holds over the promotion, and the merger resulted in shunted fighter reimbursements.
I got a buddy, and training partner of mine…Sabah Homasi.…I’m not throwing any promotions under the bus…I just want people to hear this. I cornered him in Bellator in Dublin, he fought and has an injury where he was stuck out there for a while…had surgery. This was in the process of Bealltor selling to PFL. He had broken orbital…7 surgeries, right…My guy pays for it and has a plate in his eye, and has never been reimbursed…
Dustin Poirier via The MMA Hour (for MMAFighting on SBN)
The loyalty output of the merged PFL-Bellator powerhouse proved a disaster. The new management was unable to properly reimburse injured combatants. Gegard Mousasi was another such victim of fighter pay complications; Homasi later took to X to say that fighters caught up in the PFL-Bellator merger “have not been reimbursed for surgeries and hospitalization.” He had an orbital plate insertion that never got reimbursed.
🚨 Dustin Poirier has a message for PFL or Bellator to keep their word and reimburse his teammate Sabah Homasi. 🚨
Dustin Poirier cornered Sabah Homasi at Bellator 299 in Dublin, where Homasi suffered a broken orbital requiring surgery. Bellator/PFL instructed Homasi to pay for… pic.twitter.com/hjzSbwBjyS
— AFeldmanMMA (@afeldMMA) May 6, 2024
He took the matter to Bellator fighter insurance and promotion representative Ian Matthews as well, but in vain. Now, Dustin Poirier draws attention to the cause. UFC’s loyalty and clear channel to the top brass is one of the top perks that many fighters admire. White has gone monumentally viral for bailing out fighters from financial hiccups; a rare sight in this convoluted hierarchy.
Sabah Homasi once credited Dustin Poirier as an ‘inspiration’
Sabah Homasi’s brief tenure in the UFC was as uneventful as it gets. It gets compared to two-fight veteran Phillip Jack Brooks, a.k.a CM Punk, as welterweight peer Homasi went 0-3 at UFC. In an attempt to revitalize his career after 3 KO/TKO stoppage skids, he moved on to Bellator, where he found success. That is until the 2023 merger with PFL proved a hindrance in his way.
Dustin Poirier, Sabah Homasi (Source: IMAGO/Pinterest)His ATT partner, Dustin Poirier, is the one constant through all this. Speaking to The MMA Hour’s Ariel Helwani, Poirier recently called for just reimbursement for Homasi. The fighter has always been appreciative of Poirier’s support and presence.
Dustin’s always competitive. We push each other, you know… It’s just great to have someone like him in my corner as a friend and a teammate…He is definitely an inspiration. I love everything that he’s doing with his foundation and stuff. How can you not love someone like that?
Sabah Homasi in an exclusive with MMA coverage interviewer Giancarlo Aulino (@Gian_411)
Sabah Homasi incurred a KO loss at Bellator 299: Eblen vs. Ewards. He underwent seven orbital surgeries, and the PFL told him to pay for it from his end. However, despite promises, the new management later did not reimburse him. Dustin Poirier has come to his aid, calling out the incident on live media outings. Homasi commends such loyalty from his friend. He also considers Poirier’s charitable endeavors as an inspiration to go on.
