The professional mixed martial artists who competed at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday have collectively earned $280,000 in payouts from the UFC’s Promotional Guidelines Compliance program.
This compensation system, which replaced the previous Athlete Outfitting Policy, provides fighters with earnings based on their experience and tenure with the promotion. The payouts are funded by the UFC’s multi-year sponsorship deal with the athletic apparel company Venum.
At UFC 301, which took place at the Rio Arena, the main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The full payout breakdown for the event is as follows:
Alexandre Pantoja: $42,000 (for successful title defense)
Steve Erceg: $32,000 (as title challenger)
- José Aldo: $21,000
- Jonathan Martinez: $11,000
- Anthony Smith: $21,000
- Vitor Petrino: $4,500
- Michel Pereira: $11,000
- Ihor Potieria: $6,000
- Caio Borralho: $6,000
- Paul Craig: $16,000
- Joanderson Brito: $6,000
- Jack Shore: $6,000
- Iasmin Lucindo: $4,500
- Karolina Kowalkiewicz: $16,000
- Myktybek Orolbai: $4,000
- Elves Brener: $4,500
- Drakkar Klose: $11,000
- Joaquim Silva: $11,000
- Mauricio Rua: $4,000
- Jamie Mullarkey: $11,000
- Dione Barbosa: $4,000
- Ernesta Kareckaite: $4,000
- Ismael Bonfim: $4,000
- Vinc Pichel: $11,000
- Alessandro Costa: $4,500
- Kevin Borjas: $4,000
This lucrative program, funded by the UFC’s multi-year sponsorship deal with athletic apparel brand Venum, replaced the previous Athlete Outfitting Policy to ensure fighters are properly compensated beyond just their contracted purse winnings from each event.
UFC 301 took place at the Rio Arena, with the stacked pay-per-view main card following a series of thrilling prelims aired on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The full payout breakdown for the landmark event’s 24 fighters is as follows:
In the main event, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja took home an event-high $42,000 payout for successfully defending his title against Australian challenger Steve Erceg, who earned $32,000.
The tiered payout scale is determined by each athlete’s total number of UFC bouts, including any contested in the WEC or Strikeforce promotions under the former Zuffa banner.
Newcomers with 1-3 UFC fights earn a standard $4,000 payout, while well-established veterans with 21 or more bouts receive the highest baseline figure of $21,000.
Additionally, champions earn an extra $42,000 on top, while title challengers get $32,000, helping compensate the sport’s elite stars for their marquee matchups. This was reflected in the event-high $42,000 received by Pantoja as the defending flyweight king.
But beyond their fight night payouts, all UFC athletes earn significant residual income through the Promotional Guidelines program’s royalty system. Fighters continue to receive 20-30% of any UFC merchandise sales featuring their name, likeness or logomarks in perpetuity.
So while the $280,000 total payout from UFC 301 is already an impressive figure, the long-term merchandise royalties will ensure this group of diverse, international athletes continue profiting from their epic performances for years to come.
The UFC continues to make athlete compensation a top priority through innovative programs like this. Year-to-date, the Promotional Guidelines payouts have totaled $2.92 million across 16 events globally in 2024, building off the $8.19 million paid out for the entirety of 2023.
As the world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion holds even more spectacles throughout the remainder of the year, these significant payouts aim to properly compensate and incentivize the brave men and women who lay it all on the line inside the famed Octagon. From established champions and superstars to prospective contenders on the rise, the UFC is ensuring its athletes reap their fair share of the financial windfall.
