Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier took home the biggest paychecks following last month's blockbuster UFC 257 pay-per-view.
The Irishman reportedly made $3 million for showing up to fight Poirier in the main event of UFC 257 on January 23. Poirier on the other hand made $830,000 for his knockout win over The Notorious One. This includes a 'performance of the night' bonus of $50,000 for his spectacular performance.
Poirier shocked the world by knocking out Conor McGregor for the very first time in the latter's career in the first PPV of 2021 which took place at the Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
However, even in defeat, McGregor made a lot more money compared to his counterpart. That speaks volumes about the popularity of the man who is undeinably the biggest star in the history of MMA.
Conor McGregor is expected to make much more than the reported $3 million purse thanks to the huge success of UFC 257 in terms of PPV buys. McGregor is likely to end up making more than $10 million from pay-per-view share money. Poirier too, is expected to take home around $1.5 million from PPV points.
There were seven other stars apart from Poirier who earned themselves a six-figure payday for their performances at UFC 257. They are Michael Chandler, Dan Hooker, Brad Tavares, Joanne Calderwood, Marina Rodriguez, Jessica Eye and Antonio Carlos Junior.
Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, Marina Rodriguez, and Makhmud Muradov are the four fighters who were awarded $50,000 bonuses each for 'performance of the night'.
Reported payouts for main and co-main eventers at UFC 257:
Conor McGregor - $3.04 million, with $40,000 coming from sponsorship bonus and $3 million to show at UFC 257.
Dustin Poirier - $830,000, with $80,000 coming from Performance of the Night & sponsorship bonuses and $750,000 as show money.
Michael Chandler - $530,000, including his Performance of the Night, win and sponsorship bonuses ($180,000). Chandler received $350,000 as show money.
Dan Hooker - $220,000, with $20,000 coming from sponsorship bonus and $200,000 to show. (H/T Sportekz)
See Here: Dustin Poirier's Career Earnings