The UFC introduced its compliance policy in April 2021, replacing the previous UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy and launching alongside the UFC’s exclusive outfitting partnership with Venum. In simple terms, under this program, UFC fighters receive payment for wearing approved gear and completing small obligations like photos, interviews, and general code-of-conduct duties. Since this major shift in compliance payouts took effect, the total has grown into an impressive 39 million dollars for fighters.

After last weekend’s inaugural UFC event in Qatar wrapped up with Arman Tsarukyan defeating Dan Hooker in the main event, and Ian Garry securing the biggest win of his career against Belal Muhammad, the estimated payouts for the fighters are still under wraps. But while those numbers are yet to be revealed, reports about the compliance payouts started making the rounds. 

Compliance payouts shoot past $39 million after the UFC Qatar event

According to an MMA Junkie report, the UFC’s active compliance program has been growing every year. The payouts hit 6,167,500 dollars in 2021, then jumped to 8,351,500 in 2022. Following that lucrative year, the payouts came in at 8,131,000 in 2023. For 2024, the number reached 8,280,500 dollars. As for 2025, it already sits at 7,904,500 dollars, bringing the program-to-date total to a massive 39,109,500 dollars. The 2025 figure will still climb because December cards like UFC 323 and UFC Vegas 112 are yet to take place.

When it comes to UFC Qatar, the event itself pulled 226,500 dollars from this payout system. From Arman Tsarukyan to Dan Hooker to Ian Machado Garry, everyone on the card walked away with a pretty solid chunk just for fulfilling the fighter code of conduct, which includes simple obligations like showing up for the photo shoot in their Venum gear.

Below is the full list of what each main card fighter earned under the compliance program.

• Arman Tsarukyan: 11,000 dollars
• Dan Hooker: 21,000 dollars
• Ian Machado Garry: 11,000 dollars
• Belal Muhammad: 21,000 dollars
• Myktybek Orolbai: 4,500 dollars
• Jack Hermansson: 16,000 dollars
• Waldo Cortes-Acosta: 11,000 dollars
• Shamil Gaziev: 4,500 dollars
• Kyoji Horiguchi: 6,000 dollars
• Tagir Ulanbekov: 6,000 dollars 

Now, another big question that pops up is why there’s such a noticeable gap in what fighters receive from the compliance program. The explanation is pretty straightforward. Under Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, every fighter gets paid based on how many total bouts they have under the promotion.  

As per the compliance rules, fighters with 1 to 3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance, while those with 4 to 5 bouts get $4,500. Following them, fighters in the 6 to 10 range earn 6,000 dollars, and anyone with 11 to 15 fights pulls 11,000 dollars. Athletes with 16 to 20 bouts pocket 16,000 dollars, and once a fighter reaches 21 bouts or more, they make 21,000 dollars. Moreover, champions earn 42,000 dollars, and title challengers receive 32,000 dollars.

Now, with all those details laid out, let’s take a look at which events this year pulled in the most money under the UFC’s compliance policy. 

Top 05 events to bring the most compliance money in 2025 

At the top of the list, the event that pulled the most compliance money this year is UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev, which earned $350,500. The former UFC lightweight champ, Islam Makhachev, stole the spotlight at Madison Square Garden as he became a two-division champion.

Trailing the MSG event is UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2, where ‘The Machine’ stopped Sean O’Malley in the rematch with a submission victory in the third round to remain the bantamweight king. The entire event’s compliance payout reached 320,500 dollars. Next comes ‘Poatan’ reclaiming his glory at UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2, where the total hit 318,500 dollars. Then, the first PPV of the year, UFC 311: Makhachev vs. Moicano, received 306,000 dollars.

Islam Makhachev defended his lightweight belt for the fourth time before moving to the welterweight division, and that event took the fourth spot in the top-five list. That was followed by one of the most popular events of the year, UFC 319: Du Plessis vs. Chimaev, which generated 301,500 dollars.

Now, with two more events still left on the schedule, could the UFC end up having its best year in terms of compliance payouts? Let us know in the comments section below.