The UFC 280 returns tonight inside the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi with the lightweight title bout. Charles Oliveira will take on Islam Makhachev to reclaim his belt in the main event. The main card will also include the bantamweight championship match between Aljamain Sterling and TJ Dillashaw. Moreover, the fighters will be up for a lucrative payday. Here, Surprise Sports looks into UFC 280 Purse and Salaries.
UFC 280 Purse
It’s important to note that the official purse and salaries of UFC 280 have not been revealed yet. Nonetheless, here we will look into past salaries and estimate how much the fighters will earn.
Charles Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev Salaries
Charles Oliveira (33-8, 1 NC), nicknamed “Do Bronx”, beat Michael Chandler at UFC 262 to win the lightweight belt. At UFC 274, he beat Justin Gaethje but was stripped of his belt due to missing the weight class. On an 11-match winning streak, the 33-year-old Brazilian will look to reclaim his title tonight against Islam Makhachev.
Charles Oliveira earned a total salary of $455,000 for his title match against Michael Chandler at UFC 262; the figure includes PPV and bonuses. For his fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274, Oliveira made $500,000.
On the other hand, Islam Makhachev looks set to earn his highest payday for the main event fight against Oliveira.
Makhachev earned $109,000 for his win against Arman Tsarukyan in 2019. In 2021, Makhachev earned $131,000 for his win against Dan Hooker.
Estimated Salaries
| Fighters | Estimated Base Payouts |
| Charles Oliveira | $550,000 |
| Islam Makhachev | $200,000 |
Petr Yan vs Sean O’Malley Salaries
At the beginning of his UFC career, fighting against Jin Soo Son, Petr Yan had made a small purse of $99,500. But as “No Mercy” rose through the ranks of the bantamweight division, his fight purse got bigger. Namely, his title-winning fight with José Aldo earned him $230,000.
Since becoming champion, Petr Yan has bagged a hefty amount of total purse in his first defending bout against Aljamain Sterling; though Yan lost that bout still blessed with a whopping total of $540,000. After losing the title, his purse started declining; in the next fight, he pocketed $482,000, but the paycheck got huge exposure when he participated in the title-challenging bout against Sterling, where he made a lofty total of $1,152,000 but again lost the bout.
For the upcoming bout, Petr Yan will reportedly be making a healthy total of $550,000, where $200,000 is his base salary for the clash.
Sean O’Malley began his UFC career with a meager $12,500 purse in his UFC debut against Alfred Khashakyan at UFC 182. His value went up as he got better in the octagon, and both of his most recent wins—a technical knockout triumph over Kris Moutinho that earned him $261,000 and a dominant TKO victory over Raulian Paiva worth $256,000—brought in huge paydays.
According to sources, Sean will earn significantly more than in his last bout. Sean O’Malley will reportedly receive a purse of $370,000, including base salary, win bonus, performance bonus, and sponsorship.
UFC 280 Salaries
| Fighters | Estimated Base Payouts |
| Charles Oliveira | $550,000 |
| Islam Makhachev | $200,000 |
| Aljamain Sterling | $350,000 |
| TJ Dillashaw | $300,000 |
| Petr Yan | $300,000 |
| Sean O’Malley | $200,000 |
| Beneil Dariush | $250,000 |
| Mateusz Gamrot | $100,000 |
Note: These are only estimations, and the numbers could be completely different. The purses don’t include the fighter’s cut, bonuses, or Other sponsorships.
UFC 280: Date, Start Time, and Venue
- Date: Saturday, 22 Oct.
- Start Time: 10 am ET | 3 pm BST | 12 am AEST
- Main Card: 2 pm ET | 7 pm BST | 4 am AEST
- Main Event Cage Walks: 5:15 pm ET | 10:15 pm BST | 7:15 am AEST
- Venue: Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, also known as the “Fight Island”
Related: UFC 280 Livestream: Date, Start Time, Fight Card, PPV Price
