LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 253 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $134,500.
The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.
UFC Fight Night 253 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 253 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
Manel Kape: $6,000
def. Asu Almabayev: $4,500
Cody Brundage: $11,000
def. Julian Marquez: $6,000
Nasrat Haqparast: $11,000
def. Esteban Ribovics: $4,500
Hyder Amil: $4,000
def. William Gomis: $4,500
Sam Patterson: $4,500
def. Danny Barlow: $4,000
Mario Pinto: $4,000
def. Austen Lane: $4,500
Chepe Mariscal: $4,500
def. Ricardo Ramos: $11,000
Danny Silva: $4,000
def. Lucas Almeida: $4,500
JJ Aldrich: $16,000
def. Andrea Lee: $11,000
Ramazonbek Temirov: $4,000
def. Charles Johnson: $11,000
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2531 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2025 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
- “UFC Fight Night 253: Kape vs. Almabayev” – $134,500
- “UFC Fight Night 252: Cejudo vs. Song” – $185,000
- “UFC Fight Night 251: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues” – $168,000
- “UFC 312: Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2” – $254,500
- “UFC Fight Night 250: Adesanya vs. Imavov” – $137,500
- “UFC 311: Makhachev vs. Moicano” – $306,000
- “UFC Fight Night 249: Dern vs. Ribas 2” – $173,500
Year-to-date total: $1,359,000
2024 total: $8,280,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $32,376,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 253.
