How Much Will They Earn For UFC 330 Title Fight

Islam Makhachev is about to defend a welterweight title for the first time at UFC 330, and it comes with another 7-figure payday.

Facing him is Ian Machado Garry, who is certainly earning the biggest purse of his career with his first title shot. Based on each man’s pay history and how UFC purses tend to scale for fights of this size, here’s what tonight’s title fight is really worth to both men.

Makhachev’s Purse Should Be His Biggest Under New Paramount Deal

Makhachev’s pay has followed a clear upward curve since he defeated Charles Oliveira, and he has enjoyed champion pay ever since.

Under this new system, champions have generally seen their guaranteed money rise to compensate for the lost PPV upside with the Paramount deal, with top stars reportedly landing guaranteed purses in the multi-million-dollar range regardless of how a given card performs.

As one of the UFC’s biggest draws and a two-division champion putting a lengthy win streak on the line, Makhachev is well-positioned within that tier. A reasonable estimate for his UFC 330 purse lands in the $2 million to $4 million range on the guaranteed side alone, with additional streaming-based bonuses possible given that this card features two title fights and a chance at a record.

Garry Will Earn His Biggest Payday Yet

Garry’s situation looks different as the bigger flat-fee structure has so far applied mainly to established champions and proven pay-per-view-era draws, and as a first-time title challenger, Garry likely isn’t in that bracket yet.

His pay is more likely built around a traditional show-and-win purse, probably in the mid-six-figure range, with room for a discretionary bonus if he performs well or pulls off the win.

A title victory tonight would be the fight that pushes him into the UFC’s higher pay tier going forward, regardless of tonight’s specific number. Regardless, the title opportunity will be his biggest purse yet.

UFC stopped releasing purse numbers a while ago, but the UFC lawsuit financial disclosures and historical data we get close to the ranges. And with fighters moaning about their pay and begging for bonuses, we know they are not getting Conor Benn’s $15 million.

The guarantees under the Paramount deal certainly won’t be less than what champions earned from PPV bonuses, but the framework of the new deals is yet to be determined publicly.