The UFC kicks off the 2024 season with a stacked PPV event with two of the best middleweight fighters in the UFC headlining the event. The newly crowned middleweight champion Sean Strickland will be looking to defend his title for the very first time when he takes on the No. 2 ranked middleweight contender Dricus Du Plessis. Strickland did the unthinkable when he dethroned the former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in hostile territory, on short notice, and as a massive underdog. This came after Du Plessis not being ready to fight after his second-round knockout of Robert Whittaker. Now, with Du Plessis fully healthy and having a full camp to get ready for this fight he is full steam ahead for his first-ever UFC main event and title fight.
In the co-main event, we have the vacant women’s bantamweight title fight on the line when former title challenger and No. 2 ranked contender Raquel Pennington takes on the surging No. 3 bantamweight contender Mayra Bueno Silva. Pennington has been awaiting her shot at the title as she’s now on a five-fight winning streak most recently defeating fellow top contender Ketlen Vieira via close split decision. As for Mayra Bueno Silva, she will be competing for her first UFC title after three straight victories and a submission victory over Holly Holm which was overturned due to a no contest after a failed drug test. Nonetheless, Silva has done enough to get her crack at the bantamweight title and she will be looking to put on a show as is Pennington when they go toe-to-toe this weekend at UFC 297.
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.
Sean Strickland Set For Big Payday
The UFC’s middleweight division gets to show out this weekend when the newly crowned champion Sean Strickland takes on the No. 2 ranked Dricus Du Plessis in an attempt to defend his title for the first time. This will be Strickland’s 6th main event fight meanwhile this will be Du Plessis’ first-ever main event for the UFC. Strickland will be walking away with a major payday when he steps into the octagon to defend his middleweight championship for the very first time. Also, Du Plessis will certainly be making the most he’s ever had in his MMA career when he makes that walk to the octagon this Saturday night at UFC 297.
UFC 297 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 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.
Headlining the main event, are Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. Strickland and Du Plessis are expected to be the highest-paid fighters on the fight card. Strickland is set to be the highest earner making $542,000
Dricus Du Plessis ($382,000), Raquel Pennington ($282,000), Mayra Bueno Silva ($282,000), and Neil Magny ($156,000) round out the top-five highest-paid fighters at UFC 297 this weekend.
Top-5 Highest Paid Fighters at UFC 297:
- Sean Strickland – $542,000
- Dricus Du Plessis – $382,000
- Raquel Pennington – $282,000
- Mayra Bueno Silva- $282,000
- Neil Magny – $156,000
Check out the projected UFC 297 payouts for each fighter below:
| Fighter | Base Pay | Incentive Pay | Guaranteed Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Promotional Guidelines Compliance Pay
The UFC will pay out $268,500 worth of incentive pay to their fighters this weekend at UFC 297.
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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