UFC takes to Brazil as UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs Lewis is scheduled for Sao Paulo this weekend. The card will be headlined by an electrifying bout between one of Brazil’s rising stars Jailton Almeida and UFC’s Black Beast Derrick Lewis. Almeida is coming off his first main event win against Jairzinho Rozenstruik in May.
His upcoming fight against Lewis will be a huge step up in competition which might bring him closer to the heavyweight gold. Meanwhile, Derrick Lewis was a former title challenger at heavyweight and is coming off an impressive win over Marcos De Lima in his last fight.
Brazil, we are BACK 🇧🇷@Malhadinho_UFC vs @TheBeast_UFC headlining #UFCSP this Saturday! pic.twitter.com/qOrIX6fURv
— UFC (@ufc) October 30, 2023
Although, Derrick’s run at the heavyweight seems a bit rocky, a win over Almeida will put him back among the top fighters in the division. With both fighters coming off impressive wins in their last fight, it will be interesting to see who gets the job done in Sao Paulo. Apart from that, the card also features Gabriel Bonfim a promising prospect in the welterweight division.
Bonfim boasts an undefeated record of 15 wins and 0 losses and finished his last two fights in the first round. Going against him is Nicolas Dalby who hopes to make a name for himself in the same division. Let’s take a look at how much money could each fighter make for their performance in Brazil this weekend.
Derrick Lewis is expected to be the highest-paid fighter at UFC Sao Paulo
Before taking a look at the salaries, it is very important to consider that fight purses are never accurate until after the fight. Additionally, the total payout can vary based on the possible bonuses earned after the fight.
With that said, there is no doubt that Derrick Lewis will be the highest earner on the Sao Paulo card. For his bout at UFC 291, the Black Beast was paid a base salary of $300,000. However, accounting the win bonus, sponsorship deal and performance bonus, Derrick pocketed a total payout of $465,000. As per the Sportsdaily, Lewis will reportedly earn $271,000 for the upcoming event.
Brazil we are BACK 👊🇧🇷
It’s officially #UFCSP Fight Week!
[ B2YB @NapoleonMovie ] pic.twitter.com/cJgUAgxmOL
— UFC (@ufc) October 30, 2023
Meanwhile, his opponent Jailton Almeida pocketed a total of $102,000 for his win over Rozenstruik. He is expected to earn slightly less than his opponent in the main event. The Brazilian fighter will reportedly take home $256,000 for the bout.
On the other hand, Bonfim and Dalby are relatively new in UFC. Gabriel Bonfim was paid $18,000 to show up and $18,000 to win for his last fight at UFC 291. With an additional $4000 in sponsorship pay, he pocketed a total of $40,000. But for this bout, Bonfim will reportedly earn only $16,000
Meanwhile, his opponent, Nicholas Dalby will reportedly earn $36,000. Taking the past salaries into consideration both fighters can expect a small bump in their salaries this weekend. All the fighters on the card also stand a chance to win performance bonuses that increase their payout significantly.