How Much Will Joshua Van, Alexandre Pantoja, Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy Earn?

Saturday night, Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja will go head to head for the UFCflyweight title, with unfinished business and possibly some of the largest payments of their careers on the line.

At UFC 331’s main event, held at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Van defends his 125-pound title against the former champion; their first encounter was cut short when Pantoja got injured, and since then Van has consolidated his position with a successful title defense.

There is also a big-stakes co-main event involving Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy, who are fighting in the lightweight division.

The exact salaries paid by the official UFC 331 have not been made public. Nevertheless, the figures previously reported, the documents relating to the UFC’s antitrust lawsuit, and the promotion’s profitable agreement with Paramount for media rights offer sufficient information to allow for reasonable estimates.

The possible totals might consist of money earned in the case of wins, payments required by the UFC promotional guidelines, performance awards, finish bonuses, and other contractual remuneration.

Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja Could Earn a Total of $1.4 million

Van’s quick progression from prospect to UFC champion should now be reflected in the amount he is paid.

We estimate that Van’s guaranteed purse for UFC 331 will be about $750,000, although the likely figure falls between $650,000 and $900,000 before bonuses and other contractual payments.

At the same time, Pantoja has a far longer list of victories in championship bouts and a more well-established record of earnings. The amount reported to have been paid to him rose significantly throughout his time as champion since he defended the title against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France.

Our estimate of Pantoja’s guarantee for UFC 331 is about $650,000, which would place the two flyweights at a total of approximately $1.4 million in guaranteed money before any further payments are made.

The new agreement between the UFC and Paramount also alters the situation. The seven-year U.S. media rights deal brings an average annual amount of around $1.1 billion and replaces the conventional domestic pay-per-view system. Fighters who used to gain benefits from PPV points may thus in the future be given larger guaranteed payments instead.

Arman Tsarukyan And Mauricio Ruffy Purse Estimates

The co-main event might also lead to another big payday.

It was previously believed that Tsarukyanhad received about $350,000 in guaranteed pay for his bout against Dan Hooker; taking into account his higher profile, his position as co-main event fighter for five rounds, and the UFC’s improved media economics, our estimate of his guaranteed pay at UFC 331 is now around $450,000.

He could end the night with a total from the $500,000 to $600,000 if additional contractual payments or bonuses were made.

Although Ruffy reached the UFC earlier in his career, his market value has increased quickly. Earlier estimates had him at about $60,000 for a show and $60,000 for a win as he rose through the lightweight division.

For UFC 331, we believe that Ruffy’s guaranteed amount is about $200,000 with an additional $200,000 that could be tied to him winning. Should he win and also receive any extra bonuses, his total payment could reach $400,000 to $500,000.

The four fighters highlighted have guaranteed purses totaling an estimated $2.05 million and the overall amount could well exceed $2.5 million when the extra compensation is taken into account.