UFC Vegas 103 purses and payouts: How much Manel Kape, Asu Almabayev, and others are making? Estimated and reported salaries

With UFC Vegas 103 on the horizon, the Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev purses and payouts have become topics of conversation. Unfortunately, there are no disclosed payouts or salaries for the upcoming card. Instead, estimates can be made from past payouts, beginning with Kape.

The Portuguese trash-talker is one of the biggest stars at flyweight, having drawn tremendous fan interest due to his exciting fighting style, fiery temperament, and penchant for controversy. Thus, he earns more than most in the division outside of champions and top contenders.

Kape's last outing was at UFC Tampa, where he faced streaking Brazilian flyweight Bruno Gustavo da Silva. According to Marca, he likely pocketed between $60,000 and $100,000. Meanwhile, Bet MGM estimates a $151,000 purse for his Fight of the Night winner against Felipe dos Santos at UFC 293.

So it wouldn't be far-fetched to estimate a purse around the realm of $100,000 for Kape, especially since he is managed by the hyper-successful Dominance MMA founder Ali Abdelaziz. His opponent, however, will likely not earn such a high purse, as Almabayev is a relatively unknown name.

He last defeated Mattheus Nicolau at UFC Fight Night 245, for which he earned $30,000, according to Bet MGM. He may pocket a larger purse against a bigger name in Kape, but it is unlikely to be more than $50,000. Another matchup on the card is Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez at middleweight.

Bet MGM lists one of Brundage's purses as $77,000, specifically his win over Jacob Malkoun at UFC Fight Night 228. However, a more recent outing, his UFC 300 loss to Bo Nickal, in fact, reportedly earned him $64,000, according to Give Me Sport. So, he will likely pocket around $70,000.

Unfortunately, there's little information regarding the purses of UFC Vegas 103's other fighters.

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UFC Vegas 103 could be Manel Kape's ticket to a title shot

Manel Kape is one of the few stars in the UFC flyweight division. His recent TKO over Bruno Gustavo da Silva saw him call for a title shot, which Dana White was quick to turn down. However, if he manages to score an impressive win over Asu Almabayev at UFC Vegas 103, it will be hard to deny.

While Almabayev isn't highly ranked, he is on a 17-fight win streak with four consecutive wins in the UFC. Moreover, the promotion's flyweight division is thin and devoid of compelling title challengers for Alexandre Pantoja. So, a convincing Kape win this weekend could earn him a crack at UFC gold.