Dana White: Bryan Caraway "Chiseled" Me Up to $65,000 for the UFC 159 Bonuses

Pat Healy testing positive for marijuana may be the reason that Bryan Caraway was awarded the “Submission of the Night” bonus, but, according to Dana White, Caraway is the reason the award was $65,000 instead of the usual $50,000.

“We had a union representative at the fighter meeting that chiseled me up to 65: Bryan Caraway,” White said during his usual media scrum following UFC 159 a few weeks ago. 

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He said ‘I fought on the last card—it was 65, this one’s 50.’  I said what are we f***ing negotiating now?  All the fighters were like ‘yeah it was 65.’  And he just kept talking, ‘I had to cut a lot of weight for this fight.’  I said what are you a union representative?  It was funny actually, and we had a good time in the locker room and I made it 65.

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Caraway earned a submission victory at UFC 159 over Johnny Bedford in the final minute of the third round.  He seems to making good use of his time: forcing Bedford to tap with 16 seconds left in the fight and using the fighter’s meeting to get the UFC president to increase the size of the night’s bonuses.

This is now the second-ever “of the Night” bonus for Caraway.  He earned a “Fight of the Night” bonus after defeating Mitch Gagnon by a rear-naked choke at UFC 149. 

Since losing in the semi-final round on The Ultimate Fighter 14, Caraway has started out fairly well in his still very young UFC career.  He has won three out of his first four fights in the UFC and now earned his second bonus. 

Although he won this current bonus by a retroactive decision, due to Pat Healy’s failed drug test and suspension, he accomplished two things: He earned a substantial bonus fighting on the preliminary card—where a lot fighters don’t typically win bonuses—and he pushed to have White raise the bonus, then went out and got a finish, putting himself in the good graces of his employer.

Caraway being awarded what Pat Healy lost seems quite fitting.  Looks like he earned it, doesn’t it?  Yes, he was the only other fighter to win by submission, but White could’ve very well not awarded it to anyone if he chose to do so. He awarded to the fighter who pushed for it and won in decisive fashion.

Caraway will be the last fighter to earn a bonus of $65,000 for the time being though.

“We’re going back down to 50,” White stated.