After a successful show in Newark, the UFC is back this weekend with its Apex card. Featherweight contenders Arnold Allen and Melquizael Costa will headline the UFC Vegas 117 event, which also features a pretty solid undercard.
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On May 16, the UFC Fight Night card will go head-to-head with the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano event, which is set to stream on Netflix. Both cards will be looking to deliver some thrilling matchups for the audience. But it would not be a stretch to say that the Apex card is flying under the radar compared to Most Valuable Promotions’ inaugural MMA event. For that reason, the fighters competing at UFC Vegas 117 are expected to put in extra effort to steal some eyes. However, before the clashes begin this weekend, let’s take a look at how much this weekend’s Apex fighters might earn.
UFC Vegas 117 main and co-main event payouts
Though most of his payouts have remained under wraps, the UFC reportedly paid Arnold Allen $325,000 for his main event fight against Max Holloway in 2023. After that, he reportedly saw a massive dip in his earnings, receiving only $100,000 for his bout against Movsar Evloev at UFC 297.
The Brit’s purse for his outings against Giga Chikadze and Jean Silva at UFC 324 is not public. However, it is expected that ‘The Almighty’ earned somewhere in the range of $200,000 to $300,000. In that case, he could bag a similar amount for fighting Costa.
On the other hand, Melquizael Costa reportedly earned between $70,000 to $120,000 for defeating veteran Dan Ige at UFC Houston, including base salary, bonuses, and compliance pay. Following the main event, Doo Ho Choi is expected to earn over $170,000 based on his previously reported total purse of $175,000 after submitting Nate Landwehr in his last fight.
The South Korean’s opponent, Daniel Santos, supposedly earned $56,000 in his previous fight, so he could receive a similar amount for facing Choi at UFC Vegas 117. However, that figure could increase significantly in his next outing if he manages to defeat Choi in the co-main event.
Now that we have an idea of how much the main and co-main event fighters could earn, let’s take a look at the other potential payouts for the UFC Vegas 117 fighters.
Payouts of other fighters at this weekend’s Apex card
UFC’s knockout machine Malcolm Wellmaker is set to return after his upset loss against Ethyn Ewing at UFC 322. The promotion reportedly paid the Georgia native $16,000 for his last fight. However, since he has already shown the potential to become a future star, the UFC could pay him a slightly bigger amount, or at least a similar base salary, for competing at UFC Vegas 117.
Wellmaker’s opponent, Juan Diaz, will be making his UFC debut, so there is not much information available regarding his expected pay. Another surprising payout could involve veteran Modestas Bukauskas, who reportedly earned $150,000 in his previous fight. However, the Lithuanian lost against Nikita Krylov, and that could significantly reduce his payday this time around.
Bukauskas’ opponent, Christian Edwards, will also make his main card debut at the event, and there is currently no information about how much the UFC could pay him.
Unfortunately, the payouts for card openers Timmy Cuamba and Bernardo Sopaj also have not been made public, but both fighters are expected to receive decent compensation for their bouts.
UFC Vegas 117 could turn out to be a sleeper card. With 13 fights on the lineup, including exciting matchups like the main and co-main events, the show has plenty of potential to deliver memorable action.
