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Stephen Thompson's refusal to fight Michel Pereira after the Brazilian came in overweight has seemingly not worked out well for the UFC veteran.
MMA journalist Mike Bohn has reported that since 'Wonderboy' turned down the fight, he would not be receiving the show money for making weight for UFC 291.
Thompson and Pereira were scheduled to lock horns in a three-round welterweight scrap on the main card of UFC 291 on July 29. Unfortunately, 'Demolidor' came in overweight and missed the 171-pound weight limit by three pounds.
Thompson still had the option to fight the Brazilian and receive a percentage of his opponent's purse. But the fight eventually got scrapped as Thompson decided not to proceed with the matchup.
Stephen Thompson gives his reasoning for turning down the fight against Michel Pereira
UFC 291 was not the first instance when Stephen Thompson's opponent failed to make the weight limit. 'Wonderboy' was scheduled to take on Darren Till in a five-round main event in May 2018. Till missed weight by 3.5 pounds but the fight went ahead and 'The Gorilla' edged out a decision victory.
After the news of the fight cancellation broke, Thompson issued a statement on social media where he shared that his learnings from the Till fight played a role in him turning down the UFC 291 bout.
"I made weight this morning as I have done every fight during my 11 + year UFC career. My opponent did not. This isn't the first time I've had an opponent miss weight and given how that played out previously, myself and my team felt that it's ultimately not smart for us to move forward with this fight. At my age and given what I've accomplished in this sport, I'm not here to be a gatekeeper, I'm here to fight for and win a UFC Welterweight Title."
