UFC has poured some more cash into its fighter pay.
Ahead of its first-ever event on Paramount+ this evening, kicking off an unprecedented seven-year, $7.7 billion broadcast rights deal, UFC has made notable increases to how it distributes bonuses.
For years, UFC has awarded four “Performance of the Night” bonuses per event worth $50,000 each. However, beginning this weekend at UFC 324, the promotion’s awards will now be worth $100,000 per fighter, per a report from the Sports Business Journal.
Along with this increase, UFC will also introduce an extra bonus for any fighter who earns a finish or submission win but doesn’t get awarded a bonus. Fighters who meet those requirements will get an extra $25,000 tacked onto their already negotiated fight pay.
Saturday’s news marks the first major change to UFC’s pay structure in some time.
The promotion introduced $50,000 bonus payouts back in 2013, and apart from a few one-off instances, rarely changed the dollar figure for the payouts. These bonuses, like anything else over the past few years, have lost value over the years due to inflation. Because of this, a bonus valued at $50,000 in 2025 were worth roughly $19,000 less than the buying power the bonuses initially had over a decade ago, per inflation calculators.
24 fighters will be vying for the upgraded bonuses this evening when UFC 324 takes place in Las Vegas. The evening will be headlined by a clash between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett, battling it out for a vacant interim lightweight title.
