UFC 292 proved to be another successful fight card for the UFC, as the fans at the TD Garden in Boston got to see two title fights and many other exciting match-ups on August 19. The main event for the night had UFC bantamweight champion Aljamian Sterling defending his title against star fighter Sean OMalley, and the latter surprised everyone by defeating the champion in the second round of the fight.
In the co-main event, women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili showcased complete dominance and defeated Amanda Lemos to defend her title. As per a report by MMA Fighting, Weili was the highest earner of the fight night that featured big names like Aljamian Sterling and Sean O’Malley as far as the guaranteed fight purse is concerned.
ZHANG WEILI RETAINS THE UFC STRAWWEIGHT TITLE 🏆 #UFC292 pic.twitter.com/Y4Elf76NWt
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 20, 2023
Zhang Weili took home a whopping $520,000, which is even more than what the main event fighters earned. Moreover, that is not all she earned, as Weili also won the Performance of the Night bonus, which gave her an extra $50,000. Her opponent, Amanda Lemos, earned less than half of what she did with a fight purse of $250,000.
The new UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley’s earnings were $500,000, and on top of that, he also earned $50,000 as the Performance of the Night bonus. The former champion Aljo also made the same amount as salary, but his overall earnings are expected to be way higher as he will be given PPV shares as well. As per TheSportsDaily, UFC 292 generated an amount close to $38 million from PPV sales, with more than 500,000 PPVs bought.
UFC 292 fight purse revealed
The main card also featured Irish welterweight fighter Ian Machado Garry, who beat UFC veteran Neil Magny to continue his undefeated streak in MMA. Apart from his fight purse of $50,000, Garry also took home a win bonus of the same amount. Magny, on the other hand, despite losing, made more than his opponent, as he earned $134,000 as a reported salary.
Veteran bantamweights Marlon ‘Chito‘ Vera and Pedro Munhoz also fought in the main card and made $310,000 and $150,000, respectively. UFC 292 marked the return of former champion Chris Weidman, who lost to Brad Tavares. Despite losing, Weidman was among the highest earners with a salary of $426,000, and his opponent also took home a handsome amount of $200,000.
Attendance: 18,293 (sold out)
Gate: $7.25 million (highest grossing event in arena history outside of NBA Finals)Fight of the Night: Katona vs. Gibson
Performance of the Night: Zhang, O’Malley— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) August 20, 2023
Another fighter who touched six figures was Gregory Rodriguez, who earned $100,000, and his opponent Denis Tiuliulin got $14,000. Brad Katona and Cody Gibson, who competed in the bantamweight finals of TUF 31, earned $50,000 bonuses for their “Fight of the Night” bout. As their fight purse, Katona got $64,000 and Gibson made $15,000.
A report claimed that $7,250,000 was paid by the UFC just in fighter salaries, and on top of that, there were bonuses and other incentives. So, overall, it was a good day at the office, both for the fighters and UFC boss Dana White.