A fighter found out they were getting a UFC contract while lying in an emergency room bed, and somebody had a camera rolling when the news landed. MMA Junkie posted the video on X Monday night, describing it as the moment a fighter in the ER celebrated a UFC contract from Dana White. Central Oregon Daily ran the same clip under the same framing.
That’s about all the posts spelled out. The text didn’t name the fighter, didn’t give a weight class or a record, and didn’t say what put them in the ER. So I’m not going to guess at the injury, the name or the opponent. What the posts do confirm is that the contract came from White, and that the celebration happened somewhere most people only go on the worst night of their year.
The timing is the part that jumps out, because White spent the weekend on the other side of the contract business.
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A busy week for the guy handing out deals
After UFC Edmonton on Saturday, White was asked about Joaquin Buckley, who lost on the card and, according to Happy Punch, refused to shake White’s hand. White’s answer, per the clip: “As soon as he lost, I told Hunter to cut him.” Then he followed it up: “I’m f*cking joking.” A room full of reporters got about two seconds of panic out of that one.
The Farid Basharat question wasn’t a joke. MMA Fighting reported that Basharat had been removed from the UFC roster, and Championship Rounds laid out the numbers: 16-0 overall, 7-0 in the UFC, with six of those seven wins going to the judges. White didn’t get into specifics, but he didn’t exactly defend the guy either. “If you’re 16-0 with 7 wins in the UFC and don’t get re-signed, there’s definitely a reason,” he said.
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Then on Monday the boxing side of the house took a hit. Shakur Stevenson announced he’d been released from his Zuffa Boxing contract, saying he asked out after they couldn’t secure the fights he wanted. “It is what it is, this is the business of boxing. I’m not mad at anyone,” Stevenson wrote, adding that his request was granted over the weekend. Eddie Hearn, never one to let a rival’s bad day pass quietly, trolled White about it on Instagram, according to Championship Rounds.
What’s next
The posts didn’t include a debut date or an opponent for the new signee, and nothing in them says how long the fighter will be sidelined by whatever sent them to the hospital. Those are the two things worth watching once the name gets attached to an actual booking.
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My take: this is the best clip of a rough week for White’s roster math. An undefeated guy with seven straight UFC wins is gone, and one of the best boxers on the planet asked to leave. The happiest person in the whole operation is somebody in a hospital gown. Good for them. Now they get to heal up and walk into a promotion where 16-0 didn’t buy anybody a new deal.
