There’s a more on the line now for all of UFC 264’s fighters.
Saturday’s fight night bonus winners will receive $75,000, up 50 percent from the usual $50,000 awarded.
The increase was first mentioned by Sean O’Malley on social media and later reported by ESPN. He fights short-notice opponent Kris Moutinho in the pay-per-view main card opener.
75k bonuses tomorrow night. Thanks
— Sean O'Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) July 10, 2021
This is not the first time this year that officials have upped the bonus pay. At UFC 262 on May 15, $75,000 bonuses were also implemented at the request of lightweight contender Tony Ferguson. That evening, Edson Barboza and Shane Burgos won Fight of the Night, while Charles Oliveira and Christos Giagos earned Performance of the Night bonuses.
It is not known what the impetus was for this increase, but Saturday’s event headlined by a trilogy bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor is expected to be one of the most-watched pay-per-views of the year.
UFC 246 begins with early prelims at 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+, followed by a second set of prelims at 8 p.m. also on ESPN and ESPN+. The pay-per-view main card starts at 10 p.m. and airs exclusively on ESPN+.
