As expected, the English crowd turned up at UFC 304 in Manchester and showcased incredible energy. However, in return, the fans were given one of the most underwhelming fight cards in recent years. Most of the fights were snoozefests, and Dana White was definitely not a fan of them.
There were a total of nine fights in the fight card, which went to the judges, out of which seven fights were in a row. Ahead of the pre-fight presser, Bobby Green and other main card fighters convinced Dana White to raise the award bonus to $100K. However, the UFC CEO regretted the decision when asked about it after the fights.
I think tonight showed that it does not. Upping them doesn’t change anything, it doesn’t make anybody fight any harder. I’m not doing this again. Today was the last day that I’m doing that.
Dana White via UFC 304 post-fight press conference
It wasn’t the first time fighters successfully persuaded White to raise the award bonus. In the past, Tony Ferguson managed to get a raise at UFC 262. The last time it happened was at UFC 300 when Max Holloway asked White for a $300K bonus. Though it worked at that time, it wasn’t the case at UFC 304.
The much anticipated main event bout between Belal Muhammad and Leon Edwards also ended with a unanimous decision for Muhammad. The co-main event, however, had a different result, with Tom Aspinall dropping and finishing Curtis Blaydes with a TKO. Other than that, Paddy Pimblett was the best fighter who managed to impress Dana White.
Dana White credits Paddy Pimblett by giving him a $200K bonus at UFC 304
Paddy Pimblett and Bobby Green were the first fighters who asked Dana White to increase the fight bonus. Unfortunately, after all those claims, Green underperformed severely and lost the bout. Pimblett successfully submitted Green in the first round, ending the seven-fight decision run at UFC 304.
Dana White gives Paddy Pimblett a $200K bonus (via X)As expected, Dana White was extremely pleased by Pimblett’s approach and credited him with a whopping $200K bonus award. According to White, the ‘Baddy’ was the only fighter who showed intent to win the bonus. Pimblett was lethal and finished the bout as soon as he got the opportunity.
He looked damn good tonight and that’s why he got the $200K…That’s the guy who came out tonight and looked like he wanted an extra $100K.
Dana White via UFC 304 post-fight press conference
White also mentioned that Pimblett is one of the biggest rising superstars and can sell seats irrespective of the place. White was really happy with the way Manchester welcomed the UFC. The UFC head honcho also talked about having more than one PPV in England as well as other European countries. However, the disappointment towards UFC 304 was clearly visible from Dana White.
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