UFC 305 payout: UFC 305 payouts: How much are Israel Adesanya, Dricus Du Plessis, and others making? Estimated purses reported

UFC 305 payouts: How much are Israel Adesanya, Dricus Du Plessis, and others making? Estimated purses reported

Modified Aug 12, 2024 21:40 GMT

Dricus Du Plessis (left) defends his title against Israel Adesanya (right) at UFC 305. [Image courtesy: @ufcontnt on X]

After nearly one year away, Israel Adesanya will return in another UFC middleweight title fight with Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305. Though he has typically entered such fights recently as the defending champion, Adesanya will instead be the challenger.

The two middleweights have developed a dislike for one another since clashing heads over their shared African ancestry in 2023. The fighters initially faced off after Du Plessis' win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 but had their matchup delayed until finally meeting on Aug. 16 at UFC 305.

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With Du Plessis now holding the belt but Israel Adesanya still being one of the biggest stars in the UFC, both are expected to receive a sizeable paycheck for their main event bout. UFC fighter purses are often undisclosed, but based on their last reported payouts, both veterans are in for a lucrative evening.

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Israel Adesanya last fought at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia when he shockingly lost his title to Sean Strickland. Per BetMGM, his total estimated earnings on the night was $3,540,000.

Du Plessis' last fight was also against Strickland but entered the fight as the challenger and took the belt from 'Tarzan' with a split decision. For his win at UFC 297, BetMGM estimates 'Still Knocks' earned a total of $532,000.

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In each of their previous fights, both Israel Adesanya and Du Plessis reportedly were paid a flat-rate fee instead of the traditional process involving a "show" fee and a win bonus.

While the fighter salaries will differ at UFC 305, Adesanya still projects to earn a larger paycheck as the bigger star between the two. However, Du Plessis is likely to top $1,000,000 with a new contract as the champion. Additionally, as the defending titleholder, 'Still Knocks' will get a pay-per-view bonus, though it is unclear if Adesanya will also receive a share.

Neither fighter's sponsorship pay has been publicly revealed, which would also influence their total purse.

About the author

Jaren covers MMA and boxing for Sportskeeda. He has a total experience of over a year and also writes for FanSided MMA and BetSided.

Jaren is a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Media with high distinction from Butler University in 2023 and chose a field that interests him the most to begin his professional journey. He has over four years of experience practicing boxing and kickboxing and is also a two-stripe Brazilian jiu-jitsu white belt.

His all-time top-five list of MMA fighters includes Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and Amanda Nunes.

Jaren's first memory of becoming a fan of the sport dates back to the UFC 195 event in January 2016, which was headlined by the Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit title fight. While compiling pieces, he focuses on quality and fact-checking by going through multiple credible sources, such as UFC, Sherdog, and ESPN.

His other interests include training in jiu-jitsu and kickboxing, and watching basketball and American football.

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Edited by Nicolaas Ackermann