Mackenzie Dern is all set to land against Amanda Ribas at UFC Vegas 101. It’s an example of perfect matchmaking by Dana White and Co. The rematch is indeed destined to entertain the fight fans. But there’s one thing that has made the fight fans scratch their heads. And it does relate to the green bills. 

As the #6 and #5 strawweight contenders get ready for their showdown on the 11th of January 2025, the world of mixed martial arts has started wondering about the amount of money the fighters would take home following the event.

Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas salary at UFC Vegas 101

Back in August 2024, when the UFC returned to Abu Dhabi for UFC on ABC 7, Dern had a base salary of $110K, according to Sporty Salaries. With a win over Loopy Godinez, she got a bonus of $100K, along with another $11K from brand sponsorships. Even at UFC Fight Night 224, the Brazilian-American fighter received a payout of $100K, along with other bonuses. With a rise in her popularity, we can expect the #6 strawweight fighter to earn somewhere around $150-200K at UFC Vegas 101.

Amanda Ribas, in her fight against Luana Pinheiro, received a salary of only $54K. This included a base pay of $48K and an incentive of $6K. She fought Rose Namajunas at UFC Vegas 83, and secured a win via a unanimous decision. While nothing much is known about her payout for the event, we know that she got a performance bonus of $50K. She apparently took home $100-150K from the fight against Namajunas. No doubt, the low pay made the netizens share their worries about Ribas getting a lower pay than what she seemingly deserves. 

On top of that, both Dern and Ribas are pretty close when it comes to their professional mixed martial arts record. Dern has won 14 fights and lost 5, while Ribas has won 13 bouts and faced defeat in 5. With the similarity of their records, we can certainly expect ‘Little Amanda’ to bag an amount of $150-200K from her fight against Dern. 

But what about the other fighters on the card? How much are the other main eventers earning at UFC Vegas 101?

Chris Curtis vs Roman Kopylov, and others’ salary

Back when he fought Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 287, Chris Curtis received a sum of $85K as his base salary, along with around $10K from endorsements and $50K from his bonus. Well, it’s a bit tough to make an estimate of Curtis’ UFC Vegas 101 payout, but we can expect it to be somewhere about $100-150K. Curtis’ opponent, Roman Kopylov, earned about $80,000 back when he fought Anthony Hernandez at UFC 298. Well, it would have been a higher number had the Russian fighter won the bout. For his upcoming bout, he can expect to grab a sum of around $100K as his base salary, which can grow as per his performance. 

Kopylov’s former opponent, Cesar Almeida, will also grace the Octagon on 11th January. He previously had a purse of $30K for fighting Ihor Potieira at UFC 307. He can receive a similar amount in his fight against Abdul Razak Alhassan. Santiago Ponzinibbio was one of the highest earners at UFC 287. He received $220K, even though he lost the bout against Kevin Holland. 

Carlston Harris, however, has disclosed that he receives an amount of $50K per fight. And that might be the same number he’d receive from his fight against the ‘Argentine Dagger’. Christian Rodriguez, who was also featured in UFC 287, had a base salary of $9,600. With a win bonus of $12K and promotional payout of $4K, he took home a total of $25.6K. 

While the payout for the fighters might not be as high as that of the fighters competing in numbered events, UFC Vegas 101 has a promise for exciting action sequences. What are your thoughts on the payouts for UFC Vegas 101?