Hype Fighting Leaves 17 Fighters Unpaid After 2 Brazil Events
Updated
Updated · MMA Fighting · May 20
Hype Fighting Leaves 17 Fighters Unpaid After 2 Brazil Events
3 articles · Updated · MMA Fighting · May 20
Seventeen fighters who competed on Hype Fighting cards in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in March and April told MMA Fighting they still have not been paid, extending a backlash that has spread across social media.
All 17 contacted by the outlet confirmed nonpayment, with unpaid purses ranging from just over $500 to four figures; staff and celebrities hired to promote the shows also were not paid.
Contracts said fees were due within 30 working days of each bout, a deadline already missed for the March 11 Rio event and expiring Wednesday for the Sao Paulo card.
Messages reviewed by MMA Fighting show a Hype official threatened to withhold payment if posts about the "small delay" were not deleted, while some athletes were offered future Brazil bookings to stay quiet.
Hype officials declined to comment on the dispute, which affects cards headlined by UFC names including Arman Tsarukyan, Muhammad Mokaev, Jean Silva, Marlon Vera and Deiveson Figueiredo.
Is Hype Fighting's payment scandal a business failure or a front for a larger criminal enterprise in MMA?
What did sponsor VBET know about Hype Fighting's criminal past before backing its disastrous Brazilian events?