Sunday could prove to be a profitable one for a number of fighters taking part in the event.
UFC 250 takes place on the White House lawn on June 14, with the MMA organisation putting together a card to mark 250 years of American independence.
The event’s main billing is the lightweight title unification bout between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. The two heavyweights headline following Alex Pereira’s clash with Ciryl Gane for the interim belt.
All those names are likely to be among the top earners, but every fighter now has an opportunity to take home even more from UFC Freedom 250.
The UFC is overhauling its approach by removing win bonuses from every contract. As a result, fighters now receive their entire fight purse upfront rather than having to rely on bonuses or victory pay.
And it will be even more noticeable at events like this weekend’s, with payouts coming before any extra White House performance bonuses and sponsorship revenue is added in.
UFC White House performance bonuses soar to new heights under Dana White
The UFC has already announced a $1 million crypto bonus for Freedom 250, but that’s not the only incentive available to fighters this weekend.
Speaking at Friday night’s pre-fight press conference, held at the Lincoln Memorial, Dana White confirmed significant increases to the ‘Fight of the Night’ and ‘Performance of the Night’ bonuses.
For UFC 300 in 2024, those bonuses were bumped up from $50k to $300k. Now, they’re even higher – this year’s $100k awards have jumped to $400k for FOTN winners and $425K for POTN recipients.
The extra funding isn’t coming out of the UFC’s pocket either. White said the increase is thanks to a sponsorship deal with Liberty Financial.
Alongside these payouts, UFC Freedom 250 has a reported budget of over $60 million. That figure covers everything from fighter pay to production costs and includes an exclusive crowd of just 4,300 VIPs on the White House South Lawn.
There will also be a Fan Fest at The Ellipse outside the National Mall, where over 80,000 fans are expected throughout fight week.
The bonus news will be especially welcome for Justin Gaethje. He already has a reputation as one of MMA’s most exciting fighters and has picked up some form of bonus in 13 of his first 15 UFC bouts.
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