The UFC kicks off the 2024 season with a stacked fight night event with two of the best light heavyweight fighters in the UFC headlining the event. Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker attempted to square off at UFC 294 but the fight ended in a No Contest after Ankalaev landed an illegal knee to Walker as he was a downed opponent. The doctor came in and deemed Walker unfit to continue after the concussive blow and the fight ended in the first round. Now, here we are just four months later with these two behemoths kicking off the new year with an exciting Apex fight card that fight fans have been itching for during the three-week hiatus.
In the co-main event, we have the men’s flyweight fight between two of the division’s best when No. 5 ranked Matheus Nicolau takes on No. 6 ranked Manel Kape. Nicolau is looking to get back into the winning column after getting knocked out against the former flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval. Meanwhile, Kape is streaking at this time and is looking to avenge one of his two UFC losses when he steps into the octagon this weekend. This could potentially be the No. 1 contender fight depending on how either one of these two gets the job done at UFC Vegas 84.
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.
Light Heavyweights Set For Big Payday
The UFC’s light heavyweight division gets to show out this weekend when (3) Magomed Ankalaev takes on (7) Johnny Walker in a fight that will be a back-and-forth affair between these two ranked competitors. This will be both Anakalaev’s and Walker’s third time headlining a fight card. They will be coming in not only to get the win but also to put on a show for the fans as this could potentially bring a potential title shot in the near future
Ankalaev and Walker will be taking home a hefty payday and will be hoping to cash in on one of those performance bonuses as well. This fight has the makings to be an exciting main event for however long it lasts.
UFC Vegas 84 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 Vegas 84 event in Las Vegas, Nevada
In total, the UFC is projected to pay out over $1.5 Million in salaries, incentives, and bonuses at UFC Vegas 84.
Headlining the main event, are Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker. Ankalaev and Walker are expected to be the highest-paid fighters on the fight card with both fighters taking home $261,000.
Jim Miller ($221,000), Andrei Arlovski ($221,000), and Ricky Simon ($76,000) round out the top-five highest-paid fighters at UFC Vegas 84 this weekend.
Top-5 Highest Paid Fighters at UFC Vegas 84:
- Magomed Ankalaev – $261,000
- Johnny Walker – $261,000
- Jim Miller – $221,000
- Andrei Arlovski – $221,000
- Ricky Simon – $76,000
Check out the projected UFC Vegas 84 payouts for each fighter below:
| Fighter | Base Pay | Incentive Pay | Guaranteed Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magomed Ankalaev | $250,000 | $11,000 | $261,000 |
| Johnny Walker | $250,000 | $11,000 | $261,000 |
| Matheus Nicolau | $60,000 | $6,000 | $66,000 |
| Manel Kape | $46,000 | $6,000 | $52,000 |
| Jim Miller | $200,000 | $21,000 | $221,000 |
| Gabriel Benitez | $50,000 | $11,000 | $61,000 |
| Ricky Simon | $65,000 | $11,000 | $76,000 |
| Mario Bautista | $43,000 | $6,000 | $49,000 |
| Phil Hawes | $30,000 | $6,000 | $36,000 |
| Brunno Ferreira | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Andrei Arlovski | $200,000 | $21,000 | $221,000 |
| Waldo Cortes-Acosta | $24,000 | $4,500 | $28,500 |
| Matthew Semelesberger | $40,000 | $6,000 | $46,000 |
| Preston Parsons | $24,000 | $4,500 | $28,500 |
| Marcus McGhee | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Gaston Bolanos | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Farid Basharat | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Taylor Lapilus | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Westin Wilson | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Jean Silva | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Tom Nolan | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Nikolas Motta | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Felipes Bunes | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Joshua Van | $12,000 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
UFC Vegas 84 Promotional Guidelines Compliance Pay
The UFC will pay out $165,000 worth of incentive pay to their fighters this weekend at UFC Vegas 84.
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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