With UFC 297 going down on Saturday night headlined by Sean Strickland vs Dricus du Plessis, join us as we assess the UFC 297 purses, fighter pay, payouts and potential bonuses.
Tuning into a free UFC 297 live stream courtesy of BetOnline is the best option for UFC fans wanting to watch this compelling bout totally free of charge. Alternatively watch a Sean Strickland vs Dricus du Plessis live stream specifically for the main event.
UFC 297 Purses & Payouts
Saturday’s UFC 297 pay-per-view is the first PPV event of the year from Dana White. The UFC President is starting 2024 with a bang, with two UFC Title fights at the top of the bill.
Sean Strickland vs Dricus du Plessis goes down for the UFC Middleweight Title in the main event, with Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva the co-main event for the vacant Women’s Bantamweight Title.
UFC 297 tickets have flown out for Saturday’s main event at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario. With this being the first UFC pay-per-view of the year, anticipation is palpable for what is sure to be a historic night of MMA action in Canada.
The Sean Strickland vs Dricus du Plessis prize money on offer for the main event is extraordinary. However, each of the fighters on the undercard are set to receive big purses too. Of course, the bigger the name and the higher up the card, the more fighter pay that athlete receives.
Each fighter on the UFC 297 card is of course set to receive their own individual purse. However, their purses can be enhanced in several ways through the various UFC bonuses on offer on the night. This includes the likes of the ‘Performance of the Night’ or ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus.
With that said, these fighters can expect some hefty paydays this weekend so let’s investigate what the expected purse and fighter pay will be for each of the 24 fighters featuring on the UFC 297 card.
Complete UFC 297 Fighter Pay
Using previously disclosed figures, we’ve crunched the numbers to foresee the potential payouts for the fighters on this weekend’s upcoming UFC 297 event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
In total, the UFC is projected to pay out over $2.5 million in salaries, incentives, and bonuses at UFC 297.
It comes as no surprise to learn that the 185-pound UFC champion, Sean Strickland, is set to be the single highest paid fighter on the UFC 297 bill. ‘Tarzan’ is set to receive a minimum of $542,000. However, this figure is likely to catapult to $1m+ in the aftermath of the event.
This comes as no surprise to UFC fans, given that it is Strickland’s sixth UFC main event. The UFC Middleweight Champion will walk away with the biggest purse as he steps into the octagon in the main event at UFC 297. The challenger to Strickland’s throne, Dricus du Plessis, is set to be the second highest paid fighter on the UFC 297 card.
‘Stillknocks’ is set to receive a payday of around $382,000 as a minimum. Similar to Strickland, this figure will rise considerably in the aftermath of the event. This depends on how many pay-per-views the fight does on ESPN+ PPV, as well as the gate receipts.
Some of the other highest paid fighters at UFC 297 this weekend are Raquel Pennington ($282k), Mayra Bueno Silva ($282k), Neil Magny ($156k), Charles Jourdain ($111k) and Arnold Allen ($111k). This rounds off the highest-paid fighters and biggest purses at UFC 297 this weekend.
Check out the projected UFC 297 pay-outs for each fighter below, per The Sports Daily:
| Fighter | Base Pay | Incentive Pay | Guaranteed Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Strickland | $500,000 | $42,000 | $542,000 |
| Dricus du Plessis | $350,000 | $32,000 | $382,000 |
| Raquel Pennington | $250,000 | $32,000 | $282,000 |
| Mayra Bueno Silva | $250,000 | $32,000 | $282,000 |
| Neil Magny | $134,000 | $21,000 | $156,000 |
| Mike Malott | $50,000 | $4,500 | $54,500 |
| Chris Curtis | $85,000 | $6,000 | $91,000 |
| Marc-Andre Barriault | $75,000 | $11,000 | $86,000 |
| Arnold Allen | $100,000 | $11,000 | $111,000 |
| Movsar Evloev | $80,000 | $6,000 | $86,000 |
| Brad Katona | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Garrett Armfield | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Charles Jourdain | $100,000 | $11,000 | $111,000 |
| Sean Woodson | $40,000 | $4,500 | $44,500 |
| Serhiy Sidey | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Ramon Tavares | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Gillian Robertson | $60,000 | $6,000 | $66,000 |
| Polyana Viana | $45,000 | $6,000 | $51,000 |
| Yohan Leinesse | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Sam Patterson | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Jasmine Jasudavicius | $24,000 | $4,500 | $28,500 |
| Priscila Cachoeira | $45,000 | $6,000 | $51,000 |
| Malcolm Gordon | $24,000 | $4,500 | $28,500 |
| Jimmy Flick | $12,000 | $4,500 | $16,500 |
UFC 297 Sponsorship, Incentive & Compliance Pay
On top of their guaranteed pay for fighting at UFC 297, the UFC will pay out an additional $268,500 worth of incentive pay to their fighters this weekend.
The incentive pay is generated by the UFC’s sportswear sponsor – Venum. Each of the 24 fighters on the UFC 297 card will receive an individual bonus on top of their existing purse. As you can see in the table above, the incentive pay ranges from as little as $4,000 to as much as $42,000.
Fighters with 1-3 professional bouts under the UFC banner will receive $4,000, 4-5 fights pays out $4,500, 6-10 bouts pay out $6,000, 11-15 pay out $11,000, 16-20 pay out $16,000 and 21 fights or more pays out $21,000. Meanwhile, title challengers are paid $32,000 and champions are paid $42,000.
Essentially, the longer a fighter has fought in the UFC, the bigger his/her incentive pay. So as the UFC Middleweight Champion, Sean Strickland is set to receive the highest incentive pay out of any fighter on the entire UFC 297 card.
Sean Strickland is the -125 favorite to win the UFC 297 main event with the best offshore sportsbooks. On the other hand, Dricus du Plessis is currently priced around +110 with the best US sportsbooks to pull off the upset and become the 185-pound world champion at the first time of asking.
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