In a strange twist, Renato Moicano is set to earn more money than lightweight champion Islam Makhachev as they prepare to meet in the short-notice main event of UFC 311 on Saturday.
The California State Athletic Commission revealed the salaries for the card with MMA Fighting prior to the main event.
Moicano is set to earn $250,000 with no win bonus after he accepted a short-notice opportunity to face Makhachev in the headliner following an injury suffered by Arman Tsarukyan just a day before the card was scheduled to take place. Moicano was originally set to face Beneil Dariush on the card, but now competes in the main event instead and earns a $250,000 payday for the opportunity.
As for Makhachev, he’s receiving $200,000 as a flat fee for his fourth consecutive title defense.
As a reminder, salaries made public by the commission are only contracted amounts and do not reflect any off-book bonuses or potential pay-per-view bonuses paid out separately by the UFC.
In the co-main event, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is set to earn $500,000 for his first title defense as he returns to action after claiming the title this past September with a win over Sean O’Malley.
Meanwhile, Umar Nurmagomedov is taking home $100,000 for his salary with no win bonus attached.
Former UFC light heavyweight champions Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka are both set to earn $200,000 in show money but the fighters have different payouts for win bonuses. Hill earns an additional $200,000 for a win while Prochazka gets $50,000 if he’s victorious at UFC 311.
Here are the full salaries for UFC 311 including show and win bonuses where available:
Islam Makhachev: $200,000 (no win bonus)
Renato Moicano: $250,000 (no win bonus)