UFC 262 was the first event where fighters experienced a performance bonus bump from the usual $50,000 to $75,000. It apparently stemmed from a request Tony Ferguson made during the pre-fight presser, because “everything is bigger in Texas” anyway.
Fighters who competed at UFC 264 on Saturday enjoyed the same bonus bump. Bantamweights Sean O’Malley and Kris Moutinho took Fight of the Night honors while Tai Tuivasa and Dricus Du Plessis won Performance of the Night.
When asked why they did it again this time, UFC president Dana White had this explanation.
“I was in there giving the fighter meeting and it’s a big fight, I was getting all fired up. And I just said f—k it! We get a little fired up in the fighter meeting sometimes,” White told reporters during the post-fight presser.
Now, if you’re part of the current roster, this could get your hopes up. But unfortunately, it won’t be a regular occurrence.
“Probably not,” White said when asked if the new bonus structure will be permanent. “(It will) seriously f—k up our budget.”
Bloody Elbow’s business expert John Nash did the math and says increasing post-fight bonuses would only be less than .5% of their annual revenues.
That’s an extra $100k an event or $4.2m a year or less than 0.5% of their annual revenues. https://t.co/IV0vbQOY5s
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) July 11, 2021
A recent Moody report also revealed that the UFC raked in a total of $890 million in revenue in 2020. And considering that full capacity events are back on, they can expect a major boost this year with the live gate once again in play.
But hey, if you’re not happy about it, you can always start your own league.
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