Now-former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman took home the top disclosed payday from UFC 278, according to salaries released by the Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission.
Usman received a flat $500,000 for the Aug. 20 pay-per-view headliner, which he lost via fifth-round knockout. Leon Edwards, meanwhile, received a flat $350,000 for his stunning finish. Neither headliner was contracted to receive a win bonus, likely meaning the welterweights shared in the promotion’s PPV profits.
UFC 278 took place Aug. 20 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. The disclosed salaries were obtained by MMA Fighting after a freedom of information request to the commission, which regulated the event.
In addition to their commission-reported salaries, Edwards, Costa, Rockhold and Victor Altamirano each took home $50,000 fight night bonuses for their performances.
A complete list of the UFC 278 salaries can be seen below. As always, these figures do not represent a fighter’s total earnings, as certain sponsorship incomes, pay-per-view bonuses, or discretionary post-fight bonuses are not publicly disclosed.
Main Card
Leon Edwards ($350,000 + no win bonus = $350,000) def. Kamaru Usman ($500,000)
Paulo Costa ($65,000 + $65,000 win bonus = $130,000) def. Luke Rockhold ($200,000)
Merab Dvalishvili ($99,000 + $99,000 win bonus = $198,000) def. Jose Aldo ($400,000)
Lucie Pudilova ($23,000 + $23,000 win bonus = $46,000) def. Wu Yanan ($20,000)
Tyson Pedro ($43,000 + $43,000 win bonus = $86,000) def. Harry Hunsucker ($12,000)
Preliminary Card
Marcin Tybura ($120,000 + $120,000 win bonus = $240,000) def. Alexandr Romanov ($36,000)
Jared Gordon ($47,000 + $47,000 win bonus = $94,000) def. Leonardo Santos ($44,000)
Sean Woodson ($24,000 + $24,000 win bonus = $48,000) def. Luis Saldana ($14,000)
Ange Loosa ($12,000 + $12,000 win bonus = $24,000) def. A.J. Fletcher ($10,000)
Early Preliminaries
Amir Albazi ($16,000 + $16,000 win bonus = $32,000) def. Francisco Figueiredo ($14,000)
Aoriqileng ($12,000 + $12,000 win bonus = $24,000) def. Jay Perrin ($12,000)
Victor Altamirano ($10,000 + $10,000 win bonus = $20,000) def. Daniel Lacerda ($10,000)
