Graeme McDonnell 
Rick Hawn revealed moments ago via his facebook that one of his main sponsors for the Bellator MMA championship bout last Thursday against Michael Chandler is refusing to pay him.
Their explanation for stopping payment is that because former Judo Olympian Rick Hawn (14-2) lost and didn’t “put on a good show” they shouldn’t have to pay
Approximately 1 million viewers tuned into Bellator’s debut on Spike and watch the Michael Chandler vs Rick Hawn bout, and although this unnamed sponsor acknowledges that the “TV exposure was great” they seem to think that they don’t have to pay unless he wins or wins fight of the night.
The full post from Hawn’s facebook is as follows..
“So one of my main sponsors from my fight canceled his check cuz he wasnt happy with the outcome or my performance. Read his explanations below.
“At this point, a stop payment has been placed on check which cannot be cashed or deposited now”
“I will not comment on Rick and his fight. That is not my place. But what I will tell you is this: I took a huge chance with him. TV exposure was great…but it only holds weight if he wins or puts on a good show. Neither happened. At the end of the day…not one sole (sp) will run to [my] store and buy product because they [saw my logo and saw] Rick loose (sp) the fight. I’ve made it my career and business to know what nets a return on investment for the brand…and this is the number 1 reason why I DO NOT hand out money or product to fighters.”
Its funny how all my pics wearing his product are still up on his company pages even after he says and does all this stuff!!
A lawsuit is pending so I cannot comment on who it is just yet but stay tuned.”
Wow, scumbag sponsor. Sponsoring a fighter who loses a fight is no big deal. Refusing to pay a fighter you chose to sponsor is a very big deal. That means your word, and therefore your product, is worthless.
Rick Hawn deserves to be paid in full.
Shame – I am a Ring doctor for MMA in Georgia – the fight game has always been exploitative – but it is outrageous not to pay a fighter for a legitimate loss – that is why there is a State & Federal Boxing & Fight Commission. Guess we need an Federal MMA commission too. In Georgia this would fall under the State Fight Commission which would guarantee and enforce payment of the Sponsor’s purse.
Yeah Gary. Ironic of you to say.
That’s b/s! If you work hard and have been promoting the brand no matter what the outcome that is the chance a sponsor takes! Look at how many awesome wins he’s had. This isn’t the last time we’ll watch great things from Rick Hawn! Shame on them!
Terrible actions by this sponsor. Rick Hawn should get 100% of this money. I hope they get sued for being scumbags! Never going to buy their products.