The UFC is certainly the biggest and best promotional company when it comes to mixed martial arts. They are the ‘Champions League of fight sports’ if you like. Given that the UFC are the top dogs, they also pay the most lucrative purses. But can fighters earn additional UFC bonuses on top of their purses?
Can UFC Fighters Earn Bonuses?
Fighters in the UFC are the highest paid MMA fighters on the planet, generally. Of course, there are some exceptions with household names in Bellator and PFL, but in most cases, fighters on the UFC roster are some of the highest paid MMA fighters in the world.
This is amplified ten fold if you are an elite fighter. Look at the likes of Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Israel Adesanya or formerly Khabib Nurmagomedov. They are some of the highest pair mixed martial artists the world has ever seen – particularly McGregor, but he is in a stratosphere of his own.
UFC fighters are usually paid a base salary for a fight. This can range from around $20,000 as a minimum, up to the multi-millions that we have seen several fighters earn over the years. On top of a base salary comes potential revenue from sponsors. This usually isn’t as much, but fighters are paid a bit of extra cash depending on their sponsors.
Then come the UFC bonuses. The UFC bonuses set out by UFC President Dana White can sometimes even surpass what a fighter is earning as a base salary. The UFC have a few different types of bonuses, which we will go into more detail on shortly.
But it is worth noting that there is no fixed amount of bonus awards the UFC hand out at each of their events. UFC bonuses are separate cash extras, usually awarded to four fighters after each event. The decision is made internally by UFC management as to who will receive these bonuses.
Types Of UFC Bonuses
As previously mentioned, there are different bonus awards that fighters can earn in the aftermath of a UFC event. There are now just two different types of UFC bonus awards – ‘Fight of the Night’ and ‘Performance of the Night’.
There were formerly another two bonuses for ‘Knockout of the Night’ and ‘Submission of the Night’. However, these two bonuses are now just covered in the ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus, which makes sense.
Firstly, lets look at the ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus. This bonus is awarded to the two fighters who delivered the most impressive fight on the card. Usually this is won by a fight that is very evenly matched, with both fighters enjoying success. There could be several knockdowns in the fight, or simply the pair stand and trade for the entire duration.
Each fighter involved in the ‘Fight of the Night’, will receive an additional $50,000 on top of their fight purse. For some fighters this means their purse doubles, or even trebles in some cases! It is a great incentive for fighters to put it all on the line and deliver a sensational fight.
Next up is the ‘Performance Of The Night’ bonus. This bonus is given to the athletes who put on the best and most exciting individual performances. This could mean a sensational highlight-reel knockout, a dominant display or an incredible submission. There are usually three or four ‘Performance Of The Night’ bonuses handed out at each UFC event.
Are There Any Other Types Of UFC Bonuses?
Although we previously stated that their are only two types of bonuses in the UFC – the ‘Performance of the Night’ and ‘Fight of the Night’ bonuses, this isn’t strictly true.
This is because sometimes in the main event of a big UFC pay-per-view event, the winner of the main event can earn a whopping $100,000 in additional UFC prize money. This is called a ‘win bonus’ and is only available to the winner of the main event in a pay-per-view event.
For example, the main event at UFC 295 saw Ilia Topuria defeat former long-reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski via knockout in Round 2 of their UFC Featherweight Title fight in California. This meant that Ilia Topuria in turn earned a ‘Performance Of The Night’ bonus of $50,000, as well as an extra $100,000 as a win bonus.
All in all, the Spanish/Georgian fighter earned $150,000 alone in bonuses on top of his official fight purse. It just does to show, there is always an added incentive for fighters to put in incredible displays, knowing that their sensational performances and fights will be rewarded with monetary bonuses.
Fighters With The Most UFC Bonus Awards – Top 20
| Fighter | Fight of the Night |
Knockout of the Night |
Submission of the Night |
Performance of the Night |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Oliveira | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 19 |
| Donald Cerrone | 6 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 18 |
| Nate Diaz | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 16 |
| Joe Lauzon | 7 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 15 |
| Jim Miller | 7 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 15 |
| Anderson Silva | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| Dustin Poirier | 8 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 13 |
| Justin Gaethje | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 |
| Edson Barboza | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| Tony Ferguson | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| Frankie Edgar | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
| Max Holloway | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 |
| Chris Lytle | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Jeremy Stephens | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| Conor McGregor | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Clay Guida | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| Glover Teixeira | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| Lyoto Machida | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Jon Jones | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Yair Rodriguez | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 |
Who Will Win Bonuses At UFC 299?
For the next big UFC pay-per-view event, all eyes will be on popular 135-pound king Sean O’Malley, as he aims to make a successful first defence of his UFC Bantamweight Title against former opponent Chito Vera.
‘Suga’ of course won the belt off Aljamain Sterling last time out to become champion at the first time of asking. Now, he aims to make a successful maiden title defense in this hotly-anticipated rematch. Standing in his way is veteran Chito Vera, who has fought in the UFC for a decade now.
Despite losing the first fight between the pair, the best UFC betting sites are still favoring O’Malley to get the job done here, just. Vera is a tough challenger, and could prove to be O’Malley’s kryptonite if he is to secure a second win over ‘Suga’ at UFC 299.
For his last fight in the UFC against Aljamain Sterling, O’Malley earned a ‘Performance Of The Night’ bonus. As previous explained, this means he pocketed an additional $50k on top of his base purse. If he is to do that again at UFC 299, he will also receive an additional $100k due to it being a UFC Title fight.
There are so many added incentives nowadays for UFC fighters, with Dana White more than happy to reward his fighters. For the upcoming UFC 299 event on March 9 in Miami, Florida, there will be a few fighters looking to steal the show and earn UFC bonuses.
The main event combatants will certainly have their eye on a bonus, as will the likes of former UFC Lightweight Title challenger Dustin Poirier, welterweight contender Michael ‘Venom’ Page and former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns. Time will tell who gets their hands on the next UFC bonuses at UFC 299.
Be sure to claim the various sports betting apps bonuses and boxing free bets available on the SportsLens site ahead of the next UFC pay-per-view event.
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