Dana White is known for giving out hefty paychecks at UFC events, and couldn’t help but oblige when a fighter asked for a special birthday bonus after he knocked a fellow fighter out on his debut
Dana White ‘delivered’ with a birthday bonus for Mario Pinto(Image: Getty Images)
Mario Pinto has explained that Dana White and the UFC “delivered” when he asked for a birthday bonus on his debut. The 27-year-old snagged a contract with the world’s leading MMA organisation last October through Dana White’s Contender Series.
During that bout, Pinto secured a first-round knockout of Lucas Triveiro Camacho, before booking his UFC debut for March 2025. There, he faced fellow Contender Series alumni, Austen Lane, making light work of the American with a stellar second-round KO.
After stunning Lane with a check left-hook, Pinto unleashed a solid overhand right to send his opponent tumbling to the canvas, no follow-up shots needed, as commentator Dominick Cruz was heard yelling: “Oh my gosh, just laid him out!”
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Given that Pinto was fighting on the eve of his birthday, which falls on March 14, he was quick to take the opportunity to lodge a special request to UFC president White in his post-bout interview. He told Jon Anik: “Hey, I think that was the only big knockout tonight.
“How about that happy 50K birthday? It’s my birthday next week. Let’s go baby, we’re in Vegas! Bing, bang and bosh!”
And speaking to Mirror Fighting this week, as he prepares to face Jhonata Diniz in Brazil, Pinto confirmed that he received his bonus from White and the UFC. When asked if the promotion came through, he replied: “Yeah, they delivered. They delivered.”
However, when probed on whether he had had much in terms of contact with White since signing for the UFC, Pinto explained that conversation was few and far between. He added: “No, man. He’s a busy guy.
Mario Pinto knocked out Austen Lane(Image: 2025 Jeff Bottari)
“You know what it’s like. He’s at the top of the food chain, man, so I can imagine he’s got so much to worry about. Imagine he’s got so many…As well as having to deal with fighters, imagine the amount of employees he has to deal with in the organisation, you know? So, I completely understand. You’ve got to work your way up, and you’ve got to earn that privilege, you know?”
With an unblemished record of 10-0 in mixed martial arts, Pinto has seemingly made the step up to the promotion with ease, after initially making a name for himself on the regional circuit. However, he also admitted that he was in two minds about answering the call to fight on the Contender Series.
He explained: “I was at Fight Zone in London. So, it’s a gym in Hackney. And at the time, I was already fighting in the Netherlands, like, defending my belt at Levels Fight League. Yeah, then my managers messaged me.
“They’re like, ‘Oh, look, man. We’ve got a Contender Series offer.’ And it was obviously Lucas. And obviously, I’m feeling like, ‘Oh, snap. It’s getting real now.’ I was like, ‘I’ll do all this work, and now I don’t want to do it.’
“You know, I don’t want to show up, bro. And then you’re like, it’s in Vegas, and it’s just like, you can’t take too long to say whether you want to do it or not, because they’ve got other fighters waiting. So, you’ve got to take what you can get, you know.
Mario Pinto faces Jhonita Diniz this weekend(Image: 2025 Jeff Bottari)
“Sometimes you’ve got to take a leap of faith. You’ve got to jump in the deep end. And then I just said, ‘Cool, let’s do it.'”
Hoping to keep his flawless record in-tact, Pinto is set to face Diniz this weekend as the UFC lands in Brazil in a bout headlined by Charles Oliveira and Mateusz Gamrot. When asked about what he makes of his 9-1 opponent, Pinto said: “He’s good, man.
“He’s tough. He’s a good technical brawler. He’s definitely evolving as a fighter. He’s had experience in kickboxing. He’s fought the Glory Kickboxing champion, Rico [Verhoeven]. So, man, he’s good.
“I think it’s a good fight for me. It’s a good challenge for me to step up, and it’s going to bring the best out of me. As nervous as I am, it will bring the best out of me, and I can see where I’m at. I know he’s definitely working on his full game. He’s probably in his prime right now, so it’s going to be a good fight, man.”
Mario Pinto takes on Jhonata Diniz at UFC Fight Night: Oliveira vs Gamrot. You can watch on TNT Sports and Discovery+ in the UK.