Dana White handed UFC heavyweight unofficial locker room bonus after three-round war
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC Dana White may have quietly introduced a new way to reward UFC fighters. While official bonuses remain limited, other athletes are now receiving extra payments behind the scenes. The situation came to light after Vitor Petrino’s win over Steven Asplund at UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Vallejos.
Despite a strong performance, Petrino did not receive one of the standard post-fight bonuses. Instead, the Brazilian revealed he was still compensated. White’s move raised eyebrows amid ongoing criticism around fighter pay.
Dana White quietly rewarding fighters outside official bonuses Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC The details were confirmed by Petrino’s coach Cristiano Marcello during an appearance on the Connect Cast podcast. “Petrino told us that Dana [White] gave him some money in the locker room, since he didn’t get the bonus, right? ” host Alexandre Lemos asked.
Marcello replied: “He did. We were on the plane and Vitor was like, ‘Look at that, master, how great. ’ It was well deserved.
I believe his opponent also got one, and deservedly so. ” It points to a possible response from the promotion to long-standing criticism over fighter pay, offering flexibility without changing the official bonus structure, that was already expanded this year. What’s next for Vitor Petrino?