THE STARS of UFC 300 will be vying for truly historic bonuses this weekend.
Mixed martial arts’ top promotion hosts its 300th pay-per-view card in Las Vegas in the early hours of Sunday morning.
GettyThe stars of UFC 300 were all in attendance at the pre-fight press conference this morning[/caption]
GETTYThey were left stunned when UFC CEO Dana White announced they’ll be vying for $300,000 bonuses[/caption]
Topping the bill of the Sin City extravaganza is a light-heavyweight title fight between champion Alex Pereira and former titleholder Jahamahl Hill.
A whopping 12 current or former interim and undisputed champions will be in action on the iconic card.
And they will be competing for some truly life-changing money after White decided to raise bonuses from $50,000 to an eye-watering $300,000.
White dropped the bombshell during the pre-fight press conference at the MGM Grand Garden Arena early this morning.
After fighters badgered him about a figure on the stage after he was quizzed about the possibility of raising the bonuses, White said: “$300,000, it’s done!”
The news was greeted by thunderous applause and wild cheers from the hundreds of fans in attendance.
And the fighters on stage all rejoiced, most notably former UFC bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling.
MMA fanatics watching at home couldn’t quite believe White’s revelation, with one saying on X: “Bro these fights are about to get crazyyyyy.”
Another said: “Absolutely crazy I thought he was not gonna do it.”
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKER
UFC 300 – Alex Pereira vs Jamahal Hill: How to watch landmark Las Vegas event
And another said: “Excellent news for all the fighters.”
One remarked: “OMG! This would be BY FAR the biggest bonuses in UFC history!!!
Another chimed in: “Fantastic, the fighters deserve every penny of it.”
Fight fans around the globe are counting down the hours until UFC 300 gets underway, which White reckons will go down in combat sports history.
The 54-year-old said: “When you think about it, it’s the greatest card ever assembled in combat sports history.
“Not just UFC, not just MMA, ever.”
In a separate interview with ESPN, he said: “When you think about any fight that we’ve ever done or that boxing does, there are always big main events or big co-main events with stars.
But when you talk about a card from top to bottom – the very first fight of the night – until the main event [nothing is bigger].
“The first fight of the night on ESPN is [Deiveson] Figueiredo and [Cody] Garbrandt.
“They’re both former world champions, Figueiredo has broken a ton of records.
“[He has] the most knockdowns in UFC flyweight history, the most submission attempts. And Garbrandt is tied for the most knockdowns in bantamweight history.
“The list goes on and on with all the records these guys have broken.
“That’s the very first fight of the night. That could main event on a card.
“Basically, the first fight of the night could main event and that’s how every single fight throughout the rest of the night is.”
GETTYDana White reckons the card will go down as the greatest-ever combat sports showcase[/caption]“}]]