UFC fighters frequently criticize the promotion for being tight with fighter pay. Yet at the UFC Winnipeg event in Canada, one preliminary bout told a different story. Rather than pushing for a decisive finish and the potential $25K bonus, one fighter appeared content to showboat, drawing frustration from fans who expected a more urgent effort to close out the fight.

Gauge Young endured a hostile crowd and early grappling pressure from Thiago Moisés, who dominated round one with takedowns and elbows. Young adjusted in round two, defending better and forcing striking exchanges, though Moisés still landed clean counters. In the third, Young took control, stuffing shots and even putting Moisés on his back. 

Then, instead of trying to finish the fight, he started showboating. This even allowed Moisés to fire back late. The fight ended in a competitive exchange, with Young doing just enough to secure a narrow split decision victory after three hard-fought rounds. The judges scored the bout 29-28, 29-28, 28-29.

This was Young’s third UFC fight, after losing his debut to Evan Elder in April last year. However, ‘Gee Money’ doesn’t appear to have learned humility in his loss. So, after his win, when UFC shared a clip of his showboating antics during the third round, fans quickly flooded the comment section to give him a reality check. 

Gauge Young becomes the centre of public hate

One user found Young’s antics shocking. “Was hoping he got knocked out towards the end after seeing that. A chance for a TKO, and you choose cockiness. Shocking,” the user wrote. Young might be banking on becoming popular to land bigger purses. But without highlight reel finishes, that might not happen. 

Another user trashed Young’s skills as a fighter. The user posted: “Dude is like a 100x less skillful MVP. What a clown, finish the fight. Was the only time he even hurt Moises, even though Moises was just a walking punching bag lmao.” Young hasn’t finished a single opponent since entering the UFC.

Someone else branded Young an idiot for missing out on the finish bonus. “What an idiot tho. I’d rather see a finish, and he may have cost himself a bonus u never know. What a retard,” the user commented. The sad part is, even he doesn’t know when he may fight next and get another paycheck.

The next user felt all of Young’s antics amounted to nothing. “Doing all this but not getting a finish is crazy,” the user claimed. He couldn’t get a decisive win even though he is six years younger than Moisés. 

Meanwhile, this user had another idea about why Moisés lost the fight. “That idiot didn’t do anything. Moises lost to himself because he was out of breath,” the user commented. This was Moisés’ third loss in his last five fights. 

Clearly, just showboating isn’t enough to earn favor among fans. As a fighter, you will also have to deliver the result, something Gauge Young has failed to do. But do you think he deserves all the hate?