The Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, hosted another successful PPV event for the UFC in which lightweight veterans Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaetjhe headlining the night for the BMF title, UFC 291 had some great fights on the card.
Surprising the MMA fans out there, Justin Gaethje knocked Dustin Poirier out with a perfect head kick in the second round. The co-main event too was considered an upset by many, as Alex Pereira, in his debut fight in the light heavyweight division, ended up securing a victory by split decision against Jan Blachowicz.
View this post on Instagram
Reportedly, both Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier have made over a million dollars from their rematch at UFC 291. ‘Diamond’, even after losing his fight after an unbelievable head kick, was the highest earner with $1.47 million dollars. The new BMF title holder, Gaethje, got richer by $1.36 million.
As per Total Sports, former Light-heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz also got north of a million with his earnings being $1,015,000, whereas, his opponent Alex Pereira bagged $815,000. Other main card fighters like Derrick Lewis, Tony Ferguson, Kevin Holland, Bobby Green, and Marcos Rogério de Lima took home $465,000, $415,000, $370,000, $310,000, and $105,000 respectively.
Welterweight fight Jake Matthews also made a decent sum of about $220,000 and female flyweight contender Miranda Maverick got $180,000. Amongst the lowest earners were Vinicius Salvador and Darrius Flowers with $17,600 and $16,000 respectively.
View this post on Instagram
The Performance of the Night Bonuses ($50,000 each) was bagged by Justin Gaethje, Derrick Lewis, Bobby Green, and Kevin Holland.
The main card of UFC 291 also had a welterweight clash between Michel Pereira and Stephen Thompson but it got canceled after Pereira failed to make weight and ‘Wonderboy’ refused to fight at catchweight and as per senior MMA journalist Mike Bohn, Thompson has not been paid yet.
UFC 291 results, ticket sales, and attendance
The PPV event in Utah lived up to the hype built around it and delivered some exciting moments. Sure, the main event ended too soon, thanks to a brutal head kick by Gaethje, but overall, it was a memorable night for the MMA fans.
The attendance at the Delta Centre in Salt Lake City was 18,467 which brought in a live gate of $6,55 million. This was more than the previous event at the same venue which was UFC 278 which had 18,321 people in attendance.
Jon Anik announces the attendance as 18,467.
Last year was 18,321#UFC291
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) July 30, 2023
Let us look at the fight results from the night of UFC 291.
Main card:
- Justin Gaethje def. Dustin Poirier via Round 2 KO (head kick)
- Alex Pereira def. Jan Błachowicz via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Derrick Lewis def. Marcos Rogério de Lima via Round 1 TKO (strikes)
- Bobby Green def. Tony Ferguson via Round 3 technical submission (arm-triangle choke)
- Kevin Holland def. Michael Chiesa via Round 1 submission (D’arce choke)
Preliminary card:
- Gabriel Bonfim def. Trevin Giles via Round 1 submission (guillotine choke)
- C.J. Vergara def. Vinicius Salvador via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Roman Kopylov def. Claudio Ribeiro via Round 2 KO (left high kick)
- Jake Matthews def. Darrius Flowers via Round 2 submission (rear-naked choke)
Early preliminary card
- Uroš Medić def. Matthew Semelsberger via Round 3 TKO (strikes)
- Miranda Maverick def. Priscila Cachoeira via Round 3 submission (armbar)
While the moment of the night was definitely Gaethje landing that perfect kick on Poirier’s head, Pereira’s entry into the light-heavyweight division was also notable. The night also marked UFC veteran Tony Ferguson’s sixth consecutive loss. What stood out in UFC 291 for you? Tell us in the comments below.
