“The Prospect” is all class.
In a recent interview with Home of Fight, Wood revealed that he returned the money to Delgado after the brawl.
“In my mind, I thought he won the first round, I won the second, and the third round was the decider — I feel like I won the third,” Wood said. “Watching it back, and being brutally honest, it could have gone either way. But for the people messaging me saying I robbed him, man, I gave him his weight-miss purse back.”
Wood explained that while missing weight is typically inexcusable, he felt compassion for Delgado’s situation.
“I was pissed because the guy had missed weight, he’s been in Abu Dhabi for a week — he shouldn’t be fighting at this weight,” Wood added. “To me, the guy is too big to be making 145 lbs. But it was only 1 pound, and the kid is obviously not on as much money as I am. He gave me one hell of a fight, and to me, I think he deserves his money.”
It’s an incredibly rare gesture in mixed martial arts, where failing to make weight is often considered the ultimate sin. Fighters on entry-level contracts — like Delgado, who made $14,000 to show and $14,000 to win — ended up taking home barely over $11,200 after losing 20 percent of their purse, and that’s not including payment to coaches, managers, and training camp costs.
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