It’s a massive event with two titles on the line. However, UFC 322 will close with a welterweight bout between champion Jack Della Maddalena, and former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, making his debut at 170 lbs. However, what about the money? How much will each fighter earn?
For Makchachev, his disclosed figures for his last bout against Renato Moicano was a not-so-heavy $250,000. However, then the portal MMA Salaries reported that the actual compensation with the bonuses and PPV points made the pay rise up to $1.8 million.
Makhachev will clearly be one of the two highest-paid fighters in the event. After all, while he is not earning PPV points for this event (since he vacated the 155 lbs belt), he is still one of the UFC’s biggest stars.
Will JDM make a bag?
Della Maddalena is the defending champ, so he will earn PPV points. It’s been rumored that he earned between $350,000 and $450,000 for his bout against Belal Muhammad. This according to Marca.
Surely, JDM will see a bigger paycheck not only for being a champion now, but on his base salary as well. Many fighters have said that a champion doesn’t leave an event without a $1 million on their purse, extra officially.
Legacy is also at stake
If Makhachev wins, he becomes a two-division champion and an argument could be made that he could enter the G.O.A.T argument. He could enter a very select few fighter to achieve double-champ status too.
For JDM, he could become a certified force in the UFC by beating the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in the middle of his prime. The purses will be big, but the legacy glow for the winner can be even bigger.