Kaufman among fighters still not paid by Battlefield FC
Sarah Kaufman: “I was told from the promotion there are 7 of us remaining, but I am one of them.”
Korea’s Battlefield FC debuted at the Seoul Olympic Hall on March 18. The card had Cris Cyborg and Benson Henderson in attendance, and featured some top talent including Jorge ‘Macaco’ Patino, Sarah Kaufman, Jessy Jess, plus Jeff Glover in a grappling match. In the main event, Igor Svirid tapped Joe Ray.
The event was called “The Great Beginning.” Unfortunately, in the single most important regard, it thus far was not great at all. Fighters were given IOUs in lieu of payment, and six weeks later, Matt Eaton for The Fight Nation reports that a number of fighters have not been paid yet.
Svirid’s $10,000 purse was to pay for his wedding in his home nation.
Ten thousand dollars might not be a lot of money for them, but in Kazakhstan it’s a significant amount,” said Svirid’s manager Stan Kolesnitchenko. Igor’s life has gone downhill. The wedding is off, his girlfriend’s parents have put a big shame on him, and the love of his life is never going to be his wife.
Now Kaufman has confirmed to Nick Baldwin for BE that she, too, has not been paid for her decision win in the co-main:
I’m not sure the exact number of fighters who haven’t been paid,” she said. “I was told from the promotion there are 7 of us remaining, but I am one of them. I know for sure the top 3 fights on the card — before mine, the co-main and the main — need to be paid. The promotion has mostly stayed in contact with us and has continued to insist we will be paid, but as of yet no money has been wired into my account.
Battlefield FC did not immediately return a request for comment.