How Much Is Jose Aldo Earning at UFC 301 Against Jonathan Martinez?

Jose Aldo has made over nine million dollars in his illustrious and long-standing UFC career. Among the three greatest featherweights in the promotion, ‘Junior’ has been a part of UFC history, not only becoming its inaugural featherweight champion but was the subject of the 13-second knockout that made Conor McGregor, The Conor McGregor.

And as he sets up to face #13 ranked bantamweight Jonathan Martinez, who has probably the best, most devastating leg kicks in all the UFC, on UFC 301 this weekend, we take a look at how much the former featherweight champion is likely to make.

What will be Jose Aldo’s purse for UFC 301?

While there is no certainty at the moment about how much Aldo’s purse is likely to be for UFC 301, an article by NYFIGHTS suggests his payout may be around $550,000. The Brazilian received over $400,000 ($400k base pay plus $20,000 in Compliance Pay) to face (the now) number one title contender Merab Dvalishvili, back in 2022 at their UFC 278 clash.

Given that Aldo, unlike last time, is co-headlining the Rio de Janeiro card, his base pay is likely to be higher than his main event contest against ‘The Machine’. Just how much higher exactly is difficult to say, but it may be around $500,000. It is also unconfirmed whether the former featherweight champion will receive a share of the PPV revenue. However, given the UFC’s historic stinginess with which fighters they choose to give PPV shares, that seems unlikely.

What can be said for certain is that the 37-year-old will get at least $400,000 in base pay for UFC 301, along with $20-$30k in Compliance Pay and any performance bonuses he may earn on the night. In a recent interview, ‘Junior’ revealed that he was in talks to fight another UFC superstar, which potentially would have significantly increased his pay for UFC 301.

Fans robbed of potential Jose Aldo vs. Dominick Cruz bout at UFC 301

Jose Aldo, the legend, is coming back after almost two years of lay-off, following his brief retirement in 2022. And in a recent interview, he revealed that he was originally supposed to face another legendary UFC champion, whose career has taken a downturn over the past half a decade, i.e., Dominick Cruz.

“When I started talking to Dana, the name that we were talking about was Dominick Cruz. That was said. But I don’t know what happened to Dom. Something happened that he had to pull out of the fight,” Aldo said in a recent interview with Daniel Cormier on the latter’s YouTube channel.

Cruz, of course, is one of the greatest bantamweights of all time, having notable victories over the likes of Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson, Urijah Faber, and TJ Dillashaw, until he shockingly lost his title to former teammate turned nemesis Cody Garbrandt. In addition, the American has been one of the unluckiest fighters in UFC history and has been constantly plagued with serious injuries, which has derailed his career again and again.

He, like Aldo, last fought in 2022- a knockout loss to Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at their UFC Fight Night clash. However, according to Aldo, Cruz pulled out, robbing fans of a legendary showdown. What are your predictions for UFC 301?