Footage has emerged and revealed the moment in which UFC announcer Bruce Buffer told a fighter not to mention pay in his post-fight interview.
On Wednesday (8 March), Twitter user @DovySimuMMA shared a video that appeared to be taken from the aftermath of Damir Hadzovic’s TKO win against Marco Polo Reyes in 2019.
In the footage, Hadzovic appears to subtly tell Buffer: “They don’t pay us enough to do this s***.”
Buffer replies: “I know, I know, but if you keep fighting like this you will [get paid more].”
As Hadzovic walks away, Buffer grabs the Bosnian’s attention and laughs: “Just don’t say that in your interview!”
While Hadzovic’s initial reply is inaudible, the 36-year-old goes on to say: “And I won’t beg for 50 grand [a performance bonus].”
“Yeah, there you go, but I hope you get it,” Buffer responds.
Hadzovic did not receive a performance bonus for his second-round stoppage of Reyes.
Fighter pay is a controversial topic in the UFC, with the promotion’s president Dana White frequently defending the amount that athletes receive.
However, many fighters have criticised the company for under-paying its athletes, with new heavyweight champion Jon Jones among those to bring up the issue.
Before making his long-awaited return to the ring this month, Jones was involved in a pay dispute with the UFC, as was Francis Ngannou prior to his exit from the promotion in January.
Ngannou relinquished the heavyweight title when he left the UFC, before Jones won the belt by submitting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 on Saturday (4 March).
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