UFC 298 Payouts: Volkanovski Making At Least A Million
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Grant Young
With the UFC's next event set to take place in just two days' time, we're here to give you all the UFC 298 payouts that some of the organization's most prized fighters are going to earn.
In the main event, Anaheim, California, will get to see one of the most dominant champions in recent UFC history take on an undefeated, up and coming fighter who seems destined to become a global superstar — and earn impressive UFC fighter pay. And when it comes to the co-main, we'll see two heavy-handed middleweights meet in the octagon's middle to see whether either can earn a UFC bonus for his performance.
We've looked at all of the UFC 298 prize money payouts, providing you the most accurate information about what your favorite fighters will earn this weekend.
UFC Fighter Pay: What Will Volkanovski vs Topuria Be Paid at UFC 298?
The last time we saw Alex Volkanovski in the octagon, he fought Islam Makhachev on short notice at UFC 294 — and was knocked out in the first round.
While there was much speculation and criticism about why Volkanovski decided to take this short notice fight, we know one reason why: he was offered a lot of money to do so.
In fact, Volkanovski has stated multiple times that he signed a new contract prior to that UFC 294 fight, which was for much more money than he has ever made before.
Therefore, we can't help but wonder just how much prize money will Volkanovski make for his UFC 298 payout.
Well, according to multiple sources, we can estimate that Volkanovski is guaranteed to make $1.05 million in UFC prize money for fighting at the top of a stacked UFC 298 card this weekend.
That being said, it's important to note that this amount is only Volkanovski's base pay.
Because Volkanovski is a current UFC champion, that also means he'll be earning PPV points — which essentially means that he receives a fraction of however much money this fight produces, based on its PPV buys.
While we don't know how much PPV money Volkanovski stands to make, it's safe to assume that, for a fight of this magnitude, he will make at least $200,000 more in PPV buys alone.
Therefore, Volkanovski is likely making around $1.25 million in UFC prize money this weekend.
As for Volkanovski's opponent, Ilia Topuria, he know that he was a free agent after his last fight. After securing that victory, UFC executive Hunter Campbell personally flew out to Spain to meet with Topuria and his team, in order to discuss the terms for a new deal.
Campbell wouldn't make such a massive trip for anyone. Therefore, we know Topuria is getting paid.
For that reason, we believe that Ilia Topuria will be earning a $550,000 UFC payout this weekend.
Considering that Topuria is on the cusp of superstardom, if he can manage to defeat Volkanovski this weekend — which, if the current betting odds are any indication, he has an excellent chance of doing — he can expect to be earning much more money than that already solid pay in the future.
UFC Payouts: What the Rest of the Card Can Expect
There are some gigantic names on this UFC 298 card — which also means that many fighters are being paid a lot of UFC prize money. Here's what all of the main card fighters will likely earn, in terms of UFC 298 payouts:
Alex Volkanovski – $1,250,000
Ilia Topuria – $550,000
Robert Whittaker – $330,000
Paulo Costa — $250,000
Geoff Neal — $75,000
Ian Garry — $70,000
Merab Dvalishvili –$150,000
Henry Cejudo — $250,000
Roman Kopylov – $40,000
Anthony Hernandez — $40,000
The last time @BorrachinhaMMA was in Anaheim he was given a standing ovation 👏
We have seen a few people reporting on the internet that both Robert Whittaker and Henry Cejudo — both of whom are former UFC champions — were earning a good deal less than what we have reported in UFC 298 payouts. Yet, there is simply no chance that they're being paid less than our estimated UFC payouts.
In the past, Costa has been very outspoken about him believing that he wasn't being paid his worth. In fact, Costa even threatened to leave the UFC at one point, due to poor pay. However, he has since signed a new contract offer with the UFC, and appears to be extremely content with what he is being paid.
For that reason, some of the estimates online that he's making only $70,000 for this right are silly. Costa is likely making close to quadruple that amount, given his stature in the UFC's middleweight division.
While the UFC still doesn't pay fighters what they're worth, there's no question that the sport's biggest starts are making a good deal of money for their efforts.
UFC 298 will be fascinating to watch — if only in order to see whether Topuria can claim the 145 pound belt and cement his status as a superstar; which will guarantee him a whole lot of money.
Grant Young is a sports writer from San Francisco. He has had two professional Muay Thai fights: he got knocked out in one, and got a knockout in the other. When it comes to his favorite fighters, it's Israel Adesanya, and then it's everyone else.
