With his wedding just five days away, UFC debutant Joe Kropschot had one more fight to win: convincing Dana White to throw him an extra $100,000! The 31-year-old kicked off his UFC career in style, submitting Nick Klein in the second round at UFC Vegas 123. But after getting his first Octagon win, ‘The Land Animal’ had a very different kind of bonus on his mind.

Speaking to Daniel Cormier after the fight, he made his case directly to the UFC CEO, hoping the extra cash would help cover his upcoming wedding celebrations.

“Man, it feels great to get the finish,” he said in the interview. “I need the extra money. I’m getting married five days after this with my fiancée.

“We’ve been together since I was 16. So maybe an extra 100K bonus would help a lot with that.”

Having been with his fiancée since he was 16, Joe Kropschot clearly had a good reason to shoot his shot. Now, the ball is in Dana White’s court.

The wedding plea added an even more memorable twist to Joe Kropschot’s UFC debut. After earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, the 31-year-old wasted no time making his mark on the main roster, submitting Nick Klein and showing exactly what he could do on the ground.

Now, the big question is whether the head honcho will be willing to help with the wedding bill. Dana White has been known to hand out hefty bonuses for special moments, but giving a fighter an extra $100,000 to help fund his wedding would certainly be a unique addition to that list.

The UFC CEO has actually shown he’s willing to go beyond the usual bonus structure when a fighter’s story catches his attention.

Heavyweight Sean Sharaf reportedly walked away with $100,000 after knocking out Gable Steveson in just 12 seconds at UFC 331.

Sharaf had initially received a $50,000 promotional bonus tied to Paramount+’s MobLand, but Dana White decided to match that amount out of his own pocket. The extra cash was reportedly meant to help Sharaf tackle personal debts estimated at around $600,000 to $688,000.

White has also entertained wedding-related requests from fighters in the past. After Jean Silva’s victory over Bryce Mitchell, the Brazilian jokingly suggested that White should help fund his wedding at the UFC Performance Institute or UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

When asked about the idea at UFC 314, the head honcho seemed surprisingly open to it, even entertaining the possibility of taking on a special role in the ceremony.

“Wait a minute! He wants to marry his partner in a church? I’m the best man if I pay for it? I’m going to need more information on this, but I’m probably in,” he said.

Jean Silva’s UFC HQ wedding never materialised, but the exchange showed that Dana White isn’t completely against going the extra mile for his fighters. The UFC boss has also reportedly previously handed $20,000 to a reporter who told him he was about to get married, so Joe Kropschot isn’t exactly asking for something nobody has ever tried before.

Still, ‘The Land Animal’ has a pretty strong case of his own.

Joe Kropschot delivers a rare inverted triangle submission in his UFC debut

Joe Kropschot sealed the deal with an inverted triangle at 1:25 of the second round, but the finish had been coming for a while. He dominated the grappling exchanges in the opening round, earning 10-9 scores from all three judges before nearly catching Klein in a rear-naked choke late in the frame.

Klein looked to be in serious trouble as the 31-year-old tightened the choke, and the horn gave him a much-needed escape. However, the break did little to change the momentum. As the second round got underway, ‘Blue Collar’ tried to take the fight back to the ground, only for Kropschot to once again find an opportunity to take control.

This time, Joe Kropschot climbed onto Nick Klein’s back, isolated an arm, and worked his way into the inverted triangle. Once the debutant locked in the submission, Klein had no way out and was forced to tap at 1:25 of the second round.

The win was an especially sweet moment for the 31-year-old, who had some serious rebuilding to do before reaching the UFC. Kropschot had already gone through a three-fight losing streak, including a defeat to UFC middleweight Cody Brundage. However, ‘The Land Animal’ eventually got his career back on track, picking up a win over Sevak Zadourian in June 2023.

The 31-year-old kept the momentum going with a win over Mauricio Alonso before making the move to Legacy Fighting Alliance. He needed just two fights with the promotion to get his hands on its title, defeating David Allakhverdiev to capture the belt.

That run eventually earned him a spot on Dana White’s Contender Series, where he faced Jon Kunneman during the opening week of Season 10. Joe Kropschot got the job done with a unanimous decision victory, securing his UFC contract in the process.

Interestingly, he had also attempted an armbar against Kunneman but couldn’t get the submission finish. Against Nick Klein, however, he showed he had more tricks up his sleeve, using an inverted triangle to secure an impressive finish.

The win extended JOE Kropschot’s unbeaten streak to five fights and gave him a dream start to his UFC career. Now, with his wedding just days away, he has plenty to celebrate, and potentially an extra $100,000 to help with the festivities.

Dana White’s decision is still up in the air, but after a debut like that, ‘The Land Animal’ has certainly given him something to think about.