Three Failed WBO Purse Bids Point Toward Zuffa

Two champions have chosen to give up their belts, while a mandatory challenger rejected a payday exceeding $2 million. That suggests the issue extends beyond one poorly funded defense: the WBO’s process is producing terms fighters are willing to leave behind.

“Three consecutive purse bids, all end with no fight and the parties who walked away all headed in the same direction,” boxing reporter Jake Donovan wrote on X . “Couldn’t be a clearer path if it had a neon sign pointing that way.”

Bentley reportedly signed a multi-fight Zuffa deal and will appear against an opponent to be named on the November 7 Chris Billam-Smith–Chev Clarke card in London. Dan Rafael reports that Bentley will relinquish his WBO middleweight title rather than accept $160,000 to defend against Yoenli Hernandez.