Birchak and Jorgensen will get UFC 177 purses; Cejudo and Barao won't be paid

SACRAMENTO – Anthony Birchak and Scott Jorgensen didn’t fight at UFC 177, but they’re getting paid anyway.

The same can’t be said for Renan Barao and Henry Cejudo, though.

Birchak (11-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was slated to fight former Bellator MMA champion and fellow UFC newcomer Joe Soto (15-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC 177 preliminary card, which aired on FOX Sports 1 from Sacramento’s Sleep Train Arena. Jorgensen (15-9 MMA, 4-5 UFC), meanwhile, was expected to fight UFC newcomer and Olympic gold medalist Cejudo (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC). However, after a frantic weigh-day that saw the card shuffled, both bouts fell off the lineup.

Soto was forced out of the Birchak bout and promoted to the pay-per-view headliner as a replacement. The UFC newcomer got a shot at UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw after Barao’s weight cut went awry and forced him out of the title fight. He put up a good fight but ultimately lost via fifth-round stoppage.

Jorgensen, meanwhile, was left without an opponent after Cejudo experienced nausea and cramping and couldn’t complete his weight cut.

“Barao’s not making any money,” UFC President Dana White said (watch the full post-UFC 177 media scrum below). “I’m not paying Barao. Barao showed up and didn’t fight, (and) the other kid (Cejudo) that didn’t make weight. The other kids will get paid.”

And that includes both the base purse (“show money”) and win bonus for Birchak and Jorgensen?

“Yeah, of course,” he said.

The UFC has a history of compensating such fighters who are late scratches through no fault of their own. They get the financial security of their expected paydays, and they also usually get quickly booked for an upcoming card.

As for Barao, his weight-cutting woes have cost him a title shot, and he’ll need to win at least another fight before he gets a shot to reclaim the belt.

Meanwhile, Cejudo, who has a history of weight-cutting issues, will get another shot in the UFC, but he’ll need to move up to bantamweight to get it, according to White.

For more on UFC 177, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Scott Jorgensen)