The 2023 UFC season has come to a close and we have one last historic event on tap live at the T-Mobile Arena with UFC 296. We have not one but two title fights with the headliner being for the welterweight strap as Leon Edwards is set to defend his title a second time when he takes on former two-time title challenger Colby Covington. Edwards defied the odds to defeat longtime reigning champion Kamaru Usman not once but twice and now he gets to prove his dominance when he attempts to make it 12 wins in a row when he takes on now three-time title challenger Colby Covington. Meanwhile, this will be Covington’s first and only fight of 2023 and he will be looking to make the most of it by claiming what he believes is rightfully his, the UFC welterweight championship.
In the co-main event, we have the men’s flyweight championship on the line when newly crowned Alexandre Pantoja will look to defend his title for the first time against a familiar foe in Brandon Royval this Saturday at UFC 296. Pantoja did the unthinkable and fairly dominated a great champion Brandon Moreno for the majority of the fight to win the flyweight championship. Royval on the other hand has now won three straight fights after losing to Pantoja back in August 2021. He has been on an absolute tear as he solidified his status as the top contender in the division with a vicious knockout of Matheus Nicolau in the first round. This fight is the turning point of the careers of both of these flyweights and it will certainly be an exciting fight worth watching.
With that said, these fighters can expect some hefty paydays this weekend so let’s check out what the expected fighter pay, salaries, and payouts will be.
Leon Edwards Set For Big Payday
The UFC welterweight championship is up for grabs when Leon Edwards looks to defend his title for a second time when he takes on longtime welterweight contender Colby Covington. This is a big fight card to end 2023 and these fighters can expect a hefty payday this weekend. Edwards is expected to make the biggest payday of his UFC career when he steps into that octagon this weekend at the T-Mobile Arena. Meanwhile, Covington will not be too far behind him as he is expected a big six-figure payday as well coming into this third and most likely final shot at becoming the welterweight champion of the world.
UFC 296 Fighter Pay, Salaries, and Payouts
Using previously disclosed figures, we’ve crunched the numbers to foresee the potential payouts for the fighters on this weekend’s upcoming UFC 296 event in Las Vegas, Nevada
In total, the UFC is projected to pay out over $3.8 Million in salaries, incentives, and bonuses at UFC 296.
Headlining the main event, are Leon Edwards and Colby Covington. Edwards and Covington are expected to be the highest-paid fighters on the fight card with Edwards taking home $1,042,000.
Colby Covington ($532,000), Stephen Thompson ($316,000), Alexandre Pantoja ($292,000), and Tony Ferguson ($246,000) round out the top five highest-paid fighters at UFC 296 this weekend.
Top-5 Highest Paid Fighters at UFC 296:
- Leon Edwards – $1,042,000
- Colby Covington – $532,000
- Stephen Thompson – $316,000
- Alexandre Pantoja – $292,000
- Tony Ferguson – $246,000
Check out the projected UFC 296 payouts for each fighter below:
| Fighter | Base Pay | Incentive Pay | Guaranteed Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leon Edwards | $1,000,000 | $42,000 | $1,042,000 |
| Colby Covington | $500,000 | $32,000 | $532,000 |
| Alexandre Pantoja | $250,000 | $42,000 | $292,000 |
| Brandon Royval | $150,000 | $32,000 | $182,000 |
| Shavkat Rakhmonov | $87,000 | $6,000 | $93,000 |
| Stephen Thompson | $300,000 | $16,000 | $316,000 |
| Tony Ferguson | $225,00 | $21,000 | $246,000 |
| Paddy Pimblett | $150,000 | $4,500 | $154,500 |
| Josh Emmett | $100,000 | $11,000 | $111,000 |
| Bryce Mitchell | $85,000 | $6,000 | $91,000 |
| Alonzo Menifield | $65,000 | $11,000 | $76,000 |
| Dusin Jacoby | $80,000 | $11,000 | $91,000 |
| Irene Aldana | $60,000 | $11,000 | $71,000 |
| Karol Rosa | $50,000 | $6,000 | $56,000 |
| Cody Garbrandt | $100,000 | $11,000 | $111,000 |
| Brian Kelleher | $65,000 | $16,000 | $81,000 |
| Casey O’Neill | $40,000 | $6,000 | $46,000 |
| Ariane Lipski | $36,000 | $11,000 | $47,000 |
| Tagir Ulanbekov | $24,000 | $4,500 | $28,500 |
| Cody Durden | $45,000 | $6,000 | $51,000 |
| Andre Fili | $80,000 | $21,000 | $101,000 |
| Lucas Almeida | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Martin Buday | $24,000 | $4,500 | $28,500 |
| Shamil Gaziev | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
UFC 296 Promotional Guidelines Compliance Pay
The UFC will pay out $339,500 worth of incentive pay to their fighters this weekend at UFC 296.
The incentive pay is generated by the UFC’s sportswear sponsor Venum’s deal which is paid out to the fighters via tiers based on their tenure with the company. This tenure includes Zuffa-era WEC fights, from January 2007 on, as well as Zuffa-era Strikeforce fights from April 2011 on.
Fighters with 1-3 professional bouts under the UFC/Zuffa banner will receive $4,000, 4-5 fights pay 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.
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