UFC 291 Fighter Pay: Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje Set to Earn Massive Payouts

justin-gaethje

The UFC heads to Salt Lake City, Utah for a stacked fight card. We have a lightweight bout between two of the most exciting fighters on the planet going toe-to-toe when Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje square off for a second time in their careers but this time it’s for the vacant ‘BMF’ title. Both of them are hoping also with a win could put them right into title contention after Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira 2 happens in Abu Dhabi.

In the co-main event, we have a No. 1 contender fight in the light heavyweight division between Jan Blachowicz and Alex Pereira. Pereira will be looking to make his presence known in his new weight class and attempt to be a two-division champion in just a short amount of time in his UFC career. Meanwhile, Blachowicz is looking to be a two-time light heavyweight champion.

The rest of this fight card is littered with great matchups and will be one of the best PPV events of the year. 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.

Poirier and Gaethje are set to earn huge paydays at UFC 291

The former interim lightweight champions and No. 2 and No. 3 ranked lightweight contenders Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje are two of the biggest draws in the UFC’s history. There is never a dull moment when these two are locked inside the octagon, especially when they are facing off against one another. Poirier and Gaethje have a combined record of 54-11 with 33 knockouts and have the ability to end anyone in the lightweight division with one punch.

These two will go to battle again for the second time for the vacant ‘BMF’ title. The first was so good that Dana White and the UFC brass thought to let them have it again for the fight fans’ enjoyment. This fight could quite possibly win the fight of the year for a second time.

UFC 291 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 291 event in Las Vegas, NV.

In total, the UFC is projected to pay out over $3.5 Million in salaries, incentives, and bonuses at UFC 290. Headlining the main event, are Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje for the vacant ‘BMF’ title, Poirier is expected to be the highest-paid fighter on the fight card meanwhile, Gaethje should be a close second coming into this main event matchup.

Dustin Poirier is expected to be the highest-paid fighter at UFC 291. The former interim lightweight champion is set to earn a guaranteed payout of $1,021,000 this weekend. Poirier is set to fight former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje for the vacant ‘BMF’ title.

Former interim lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje will be among the highest-paid UFC fighters this weekend with a $511,000 payday. Alex Pereira ($316,000), Jan Blachowicz ($216,000), and Stephen Thompson ($166,000) round out the top-five highest-paid fighters at UFC 291 this weekend.

Top-5 Highest Paid Fighters at UFC 291:

  • Dustin Poirier — $1.02 million
  • Justin Gaethje — $511,000
  • Alex Pereira — $316,000
  • Jan Blachowicz — $216,000
  • Stephen Thompson — $166,000

Check out the projected UFC 291 payouts for each fighter below:

Fighter Base Pay Incentive Pay Guaranteed Salary
Dustin Poirier $1,000,000 $21,000 $1,021,000
Justin Gaethje $500,000 $11,000 $511,000
Jan Blachowicz $200,000 $16,000 $216,000
Alex Pereira $300,000 $6,000 $316,000
Stephen Thompson $150,000 $16,000 $166,000
Michel Pereira $65,000 $6,000 $71,000
Tony Ferguson $125,000 $21,000 $146,000
Bobby Green $100,000 $21,000 $121,000
Michael Chiesa $80,000 $16,000 $96,000
Kevin Holland $100,000 $16,000 $116,000
Trevin Giles $60,000 $11,000 $71,000
Gabriel Bonfim $12,000 $4,000 $16,000
Derrick Lewis $150,000 $16,000 $166,000
Marcos Rogerio de Lima $75,000 $16,000 $91,000
Roman Kopylov $30,000 $4,500 $34,500
Claudio Ribeiro $12,000 $4,000 $16,000
Jake Matthews $50,000 $16,000 $66,000
Darrius Flowers $12,000 $4,000 $16,000
CJ Vergara $24,000 $4,500 $28,500
Vinicius Salvador $12,000 $4,000 $16,000
Matthew Semelsberger $45,000 $6,000 $51,000
Uros Medic $24,000 $4,500 $28,500
Miranda Maverick $75,000 $6,000 $81,000
Priscila Cachoeira $40,000 $6,000 $46,000

UFC 291 Promotional Guidelines Compliance Pay

The UFC will pay out $256,500 worth of incentive pay to their fighters this weekend at UFC 291.

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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