UFC 249 Fight Purse Reveals Shocking Earnings of Fighters

With UFC 249 coming to an end, fighters left the venue jubilant and ecstatic or with their heads hung in sadness. However, most fighters walked away with heavy pockets thanks to their Fight Purse.

The salaries of the fighters from UFC 249 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida were revealed recently. And the list gives us a rough idea of who’s pockets weighed the most or the least.

Yorgan De Castro and Jeremy Stephens strikeout

According to the list of disclosed UFC 249 salaries, it seems like most fighters walked away with a smile on their face. However, one must consider that not every fighter earned as much as the ones at the top of the food chain.

For instance, Jeremy Stephens lost a huge share of his earnings to Calvin Kattar after coming in a few pounds overweight. 30% of his earnings, to be exact.

In addition to weighing in over the limit, Stephens was floored by Kattar with a highlight-reel worthy elbow to the face. A sweeping shot from the left finished Kattar.

Kattar, unwilling to let Stephens recover, left him bloody towards the end of the fight, with a barrage of strikes. This loss adds to Stephens’ unimpressive streak of losses, having gone 5 fights without a single win.

Yorgan De Castro, on the other hand, conceded the first loss of his MMA career, which is still in its infancy. Castro started out strong looking to land heavy shots early into the fight.

However, Greg Hardy’s athleticism allowed him to dodge the attacks efficiently. Had Castro connected with Hardy, it would be the former NFL star staring at the lights of the arena.

Castro walked away with a meager amount of $12,000 following his loss to Hardy. Part of the reason is that The Mad Titan is only beginning his career in the UFC.

How UFC 249 was beneficial for some

With the interim UFC lightweight title on the line, Justin Gaethje stopped Tony Ferguson in the final round. The fight won him the title along with $350,000. The loss cost Tony his shot at the title, however, it earned him $500,000 towards the end of the night.

The co-main event saw Henry Cejudo defend his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz. Cejudo successfully defended his title against The Dominator and the win earned him $350,000. Despite having lost, what could very well be his last crack at the title, Cruz walked away from the fight $300,000 richer.

These figures do not include the deductions made for insurances, licenses, and taxes. In addition, the figures do not include any sum that may have been paid to the fighters via sponsors.

They also exclude any and all ‘locker room’ or discretionary sums that the UFC may pay the fighters. They exclude any PPV cuts that some top-tier fighters are privy to.

For instance, both Francis Ngannou and the new interim UFC Lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, as well as Tony Ferguson, were paid additional bonuses.

Ngannou and Gaethje received the ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus. Gaethje and Ferguson earned the ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus.

The figures are just base salaries of the fighters. They do not include any incentives that the fighters may have earned.

What do you think about the UFC’s compensation policies?