The UFC may put on the biggest shows in the entire mixed martial arts space, with thousands of fans in attendance, but plans don’t always work out for Dana White and Co. in the way they want. A similar thing happened ahead of UFC Rio because the Fight Night event lost a heavyweight matchup between Mohammed Usman and Valter Walker because of certain medical issues. But another reason planned matchups are getting scrapped is because of weight misses.

Fighters missing weight is something that happens at every other UFC event. This often leaves the promotion scrambling to make changes, but recently we’ve seen fights go on as catchweight bouts despite the weight discrepancy. Dana White is not a big lover of catchweight fights, and he’s mentioned it multiple times. But the loss of a fight at the last minute could impact certain events, and the executives appear to be quite insistent on letting such fights go ahead as planned. As Yana Santos revealed during an interview, refusing to fight has severe consequences.

“A couple of fights ago, when my opponent missed a lot of weight and we were thinking, should we take the fight or not, UFC made it very clear that the person who will be punished is me if I refuse to fight… if I want to keep my job, I have to fight,” Yana Santos told MMA Fighting.

Yana Santos hasn’t had the best of luck in the Octagon, and she’s had many opponents pulling out of their scheduled fights due to weight-related issues. So, she may have done the right thing by going ahead and listening to what the UFC wanted her to do and competing instead of sitting on the shelf for another few months. For the fans, UFC’s strict policy about punishing fighters for refusing to fight has earned mixed responses from the fans. While some are in favor of it, as cancellations haven’t slowed, others are against it.

Is UFC punishing fighters for refusing to fight good or bad? Fans weigh in

There were a few fans who sided with Dana White and Co.’s decision to punish fighters if they choose to step down from a bout. They believe that instead of scrapping the matchup at the last moment, they should penalize the culprit. “Should be: fight, and if the fight goes to decision, the person who missed weight is deducted a point per pound missed. The person who made weight is given a no contest in the case of decision loss, and they don’t receive win money but still get show money and 25% of opponent,” one fan commented on X.

Fans shared a variety of opinions, and one of them seems very interesting. They believe ‘Dana White Privilege’ is real, and if fighters aren’t impressing the CEO with their performances and promotional duties, they may lose their right to negotiate terms with the head honcho. “When you are not that entertaining or elite, this is what happens. I’m not sure why this is a surprise,” an X user added. But then again, it doesn’t get any bigger than the UFC in the MMA world, and fans are certain that the promotion is using that fact as leverage, as one fan pointed out: “Monopoly doing monopoly things.”

The MMA fandom seems to understand that a last-minute blow can often prove costly to the UFC. So, for those who make weight and agree to fight in a catchweight bout, “UFC should automatically double a fighter’s purse if that’s the case,” according to a fan. On the other side of the spectrum, fans are livid with Dana White and Co.’s tactics. “I have heard this from other fighters as well. The UFC puts the pressure on the wrong person,” one of them wrote, believing that they never actually punish the culprits.

As one fan wrote, “That’s a bummer to hear. Really hoped UFC would be better than that,” he observed a lack of empathy on Dana White and Co.’s part. And that is exactly what fans are warning the fighters about. Several fighters in the past have faced consequences for speaking up against the UFC’s policies, so fans are advising Yana Santos to watch out with what she reveals on a public platform. “Now, prepared to be punished anyway,” he wrote.

You’ve heard what the people on the internet have to say about the policy adopted by the UFC. What do you think? Drop your comments below.