UFC: Adesanya Demands Increased Bonuses

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya says their $50,000 performance bonus should be increased.

Adesanya is a regular recipient of the UFC performance bonus as the middleweight king has racked up eight $50,000 cheques in 15 appearances.

The UFC typically hands out two or three ‘Knockout of the Night’ bonuses and one ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus for each event they host, with all fighters who receive the bonus awarded $50,000.

UFC boss Dana White has increased the bonus in the past, as fighters who competed at UFC 100 in 2009 were granted $100,000 if they won a bonus. Fighters who competed at UFC 262 in May 2021 were also given $75,000 if they won a bonus after a public campaign from Tony Ferguson to increase the figure.

Adesanya has now called for bonuses to be permanently increased.

He stated in a recent episode of Impaulsive, “The UFC and WWE merger, $21.4bn company. I’m like, ‘Yo, they can go up.’ It’s been a few years, inflation has been going up. The bonus got to go up, that’s how I feel. I’ve told them this and I’ve said this publicly, it’s not crazy.”

“My knockouts alone are worth $50,000. That’s knockouts alone. I’ve said this, the UFC, sometimes they bump it up to $100,000 for certain cards. UFC 200 or UFC 100 I think they did, the bonuses were worth like $100,000. When I knock someone out, I normally get a bonus, so I’m like my knockouts are worth $50,000.”