UFC 287 Fighter Pay: Challenger Adesanya to earn 2x more than champion Pereira ($1m v $542k)

The Sports Daily has done a deep dive into the salaries, fighter pay, and incentive pay for the upcoming UFC 287. 

Alex Pereira is set to earn more than $500k in salary and payouts, however, challenger Adesanya is still way out in front in terms of a payday. For the full story, you can go here.

UFC 287 Fighter Pay, Salaries, And Payouts

The UFC normally doesn’t disclose fighter pay for obvious reasons (contract negotiations) but some previously disclosed figures can help us come to an appropriate estimate.

Using those figures, we’ve crunched the numbers to foresee the potential payouts for the fighters on this weekend’s upcoming UFC PPV event in Miami, Florida.

In total, the UFC is projected to pay out over $3.3 Million in salaries, incentives, and bonuses at UFC 287. Headlining the main event, Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya are expected to earn the most guaranteed salary.

Check out the potential UFC 287 payouts for each fighter below:

1. Israel Adesanya – $1,032,000
2. Alex Pereira – $542,000
3. Jorge Masvidal – $521,000
4. Gilbert Burns – $266,000
5. Rob Font – $166,000
6. Kevin Holland – $166,000
7. Kevin Gastelum – $116,000
8. Gerald Meerschaert – $89,000
9. Michelle Waterson-Gomez – $83,000
10. Santiago Ponzinibbio – $81,000

*Note: All figures are estimates. UFC does not disclose salary unless required by state law.

Alex Pereira Set To Take Home Big Payday

Alex Pereira’s rise to stardom came rather fast in the UFC. He scored his title shot in just his fourth fight with the promotion in due part to the rivalry he’s had outside of MMA with former champion Israel Adesanya. In their first MMA fight, Pereira got the biggest payday of his combat sports career with $632,000.

In just eight professional MMA fights, Pereira has made over $1 Million which is unheard of as most fighters don’t even reach that pinnacle in their entire careers. He is just a special kind of talent and the kind of talent that brings home massive paydays.

This rematch has the potential to be one of the biggest fights of the year. As a result, Adesanya is projected to earn over $1 million in guaranteed salary.