UFC’s margins are looking rather thick. This is in part due to the fact that they haven’t changed the bonus structure for years.
$50,000 in 2010 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $67,935.76 today, an increase of $17,935.76 over 12 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 2.59% per year between 2010 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 35.87%.
But some athletes have different contracts. UFC 280 headliner Islam Makhachev recently revealed that he has a clause in his contract awarding him $50,000 for every finish he gets in the octagon.
Makhachev told Muslim Money Guys podcast:
“I always like to finish my opponents. Right now, Dana White is giving me a new contract he I have in the contract. If I finish like doesn’t matter how they give me a bonus $15,000 the not like they give all fighters like performance of night or other bonus but I have in my account, in my contract, if I finish, they give me bonus.”
Makhachev also revealed UFC 280 will be his first significant payday:
“Uh, honestly, this it’s going to be like my first fight where I can make, like, real money, you know, as are all the money I spent for my family. Like, I build some house for my family, and but now, right now, it’s big money’s coming.”
One of the hosts went on to ask: “So if you had the choice of double the money, but without the title, would you take?”
“It? No. My dream is title. Because all my life I know I training so hard for this moment, I for sure will choose title.”
Makhachev has been in the UFC since 2015 and has an MMA record consisting of 22 wins and 1 loss. Makhachev is on a 10 win streak. The only people to have had longer streaks in the division are Khabib, Tony Ferguson and current champ Charles Oliveira.