UFC 123 bonus was hard-to-believe moment for Phil Davis
“I thought I had it in Abu Dhabi (at UFC 112),” Davis told MMAjunkie.com Radio on Monday. “I thought for…
“I thought I had it in Abu Dhabi (at UFC 112),” Davis told MMAjunkie.com Radio on Monday. “I thought for sure I had it. I’m in the back counting out my money. … I’m back there crunching numbers, and then they gave the ($75,000) ‘Submission of the Night’ bonus to Rafael dos Anjos. I was a little crushed over that. Don’t get me wrong, though … he deserved it.
“So I didn’t believe the hype (after UFC 123). I’m trying not to think about the money I’m not going to get. And then Joe Silva is like, ‘Well, you got this one.’ I’m like, ‘I’m not going to believe you until I get the check in my hand. I’m not going to believe you. You can tell me whatever you want.’ Then he put the check in my hand, and I got weak in the knees. I almost fell.”
Davis turned pro just two years ago, and he quickly has become one of the sport’s most promising prospects. He’s dominated his four UFC opponents – which included a three-round beatdown of former WEC champion Brian Stann in his promotional debut – and has shown marked improvement with each outing.
But still, $80,000 is a lot of money for any young fighter.
“This time last year I was bouncing at a club and barely making ends meet,” he said. “Right now, the ends are meeting, and I’m doing quite alright.”