UFC 306 Payout: How Much Are Sean O’Malley, Merab Dvalishvili, and Others Making at UFC Noche Sphere? Estimated Salaries & More

Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili will be part of UFC’s historic event in Las Vegas. The UFC 306 will go down in combat sports annals for more reasons than one. For the first time, a sporting event will be held inside the Las Vegas Sphere. Moreover, in another first, the UFC has allowed a sponsor to have title partner status. With the more than $20 million spent to produce the event, the fighters on the card will also expect substantial rewards.

The fight for the bantamweight world championship will be accompanied, in the co-main event, by the third chapter of the rivalry between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko for the women’s flyweight title. The event on Mexico’s Independence Day will have a strong focus on celebrating Mexican heritage. As for the payouts from the event dubbed Riyadh Season Noche UFC, let’s find what the fighters can potentially earn.

At UFC 299, Sean O’Malley thrashed Chito Vera, who found no answer to the bantamweight champion’s kickboxing. After five rounds of masterclasses by the champion, the judges handed him the decision win while he pocketed $2.3 million for his victory, including his PPV percentage and a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. Once he was done with Vera, all radars pointed to a single name: Merab Dvalishvili. The epic matchup at 306 will help Suga earn somewhere between $2.5 million and $3 million. Talk about big money for the Champion!

On the other, Dvalishvili earned $211,000 for his fight against Henry Cejudo at UFC 298. But he would be looking for the big fight bonus that comes his way if he defeats O’Malley in the Octagon to become the new champ. Even if he fails to achieve the task, he still would be pocketing $300,000, plus performance and PPV bonuses.

Merab Dvalishvili’s background in wrestling will be his most precious bullet. The Georgian must implement heavy wrestling, which exhausts the current champion and leads the fight to work on the ground. Sean O’Malley may suffer against a fighter like the Georgian, but the procedure to drive the fight into The Machine’s territory involves a good standing defense.

O’Malley holds a record of 18-1 and the second defense of his title against Dvalishvili, currently on a 10-fight winning streak, will be a significant challenge. So, this is how much the big boys but this isn’t the only big money fight at UFC 306.

Alexa Grasso, Mexico’s leading flagbearer within the company, will seek to prove that the previous draw against Shevchenko was only a stumble in her career after the judges’ score retained the 125-pound leather in her possession. Although there are no reports as to what she will be earning at 306, we can get an idea from her previous pay slips.

The Mexican bags around $500,000 per fight and her rematch against Shevchenko earned her $842,000 last year. Shevchenko has a similar base of $500,00 and made $1,030,000 from their last encounter. But the situation for Grasso has changed now.

As the reigning flyweight champion Grasso will receive a share of the Noche Riyadh PPV, which will bring her earnings from the event to around $1.2 million. Her opponent could end up making around a similar amount from their third fight. However, the figures may vary based on the big-fight bonuses they might get. So what about others on the card?

The estimated payout for the other fighters at UFC 306

Other fighters such as Brian Ortega, Daniel Zellhuber, Ronaldo Rodríguez, Irene Aldana, and Raúl Rosas Júnior are some of the other Mexican names that will crown Mexico’s special night in Las Vegas. Ortega will be pitted against Diego Lopes in a featherweight bout on the night. As for his earnings, he reportedly made about 211,000 in guaranteed pay, which included a Performance of the Night bonus for submitting Yair Rodriguez at UFC Mexico City back in February.

As for Lopes, we are aware that the fighter secured a purse of $100,000 at UFC 300, after his first-round win over Sodiq Yusuff. Against a bigger name at a bigger event, he is expected to make around $250,000-$300,000.

However, no matter the fight pay, these fighters are truly going to give an experience that will be bang for our buck. A true a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as the UFC CEO promised.

So how can we watch it? Well, the residents of the United States will be able to enjoy the full card through ESPN+, while in other territories with the UFC Fight Pass. Fox Sports will be in charge of broadcasting the entire event in Mexico. Early Prelims kickoff Saturday, September 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT in the United States.

So what do you think? Are you excited for the event? Which is the match you are looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments.