Yes I have heard Dana say this, and I do believe it to be true since no one has tried argue otherwise. But that could be manipulated any number of ways. Is that 3 fights every fiscal year? Calendar year? Or is it based off the date from which his contract was signed? Does the standby pay count as one fight in this arrangement? If so, one could easily see how the 3 fight obligation was met by the UFC. At worst, they may have had to compensate him for one fight while the Jon situation was being sorted out.
Tom claims he was told ‘3 or 4 times” that the fight was on; well which was it? You’d think he’d remember a detail like that.
Like most things, there’s three sides to any story, and in this case, we only have Tom’s side. I have no doubt he was given assurances to some degree. But at what point does one just say “fuck it” and ask for another fight? He’s within his rights to do so. Defending an interim for a second time is not ideal, but it’s not unprecedented. I believe that Barao did it. Also, knowing that you’re dealing with someone like Jon, why would you leave your fate in his hands and not try to advocate for yourself? Fighters do it all the time.
In the end, this isn’t really a hill I need to die on. Tom was compensated for being standby and really only lost 5 months to date which isn’t the worst thing in terms of earnings. I just think he was somewhat complicit for going along for the ride and not being more vocal, sooner, in way of outspokenly seeking another opponent. We all knew Jon was stalling. That’s just my opinion though. I still like Tom and look forward to seeing him achieve greatness.
