Tag: Youssef Zalal

Coach Marc Montoya discusses UFC contender Youssef Zalal’s incredible career turnaround

How did Youssef Zalal go from being cut by the UFC to a ranked featherweight contender? His coach explains.

[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] went from being cut by the UFC to a ranked featherweight contender.

Zalal (17-5-1 MMA, 7-3-1 UFC) kicked off his first UFC tenure 3-0. However, he went on to lose three straight – including a decision to Ilia Topuria, followed by a majority draw that led to his UFC release.

During his time away from the octagon, Zalal took part in a one-day competition, which included three combat sports: Boxing, kickboxing, and MMA. Zalal won all three fights and the tournament before getting a short-notice call to make his UFC return.

Zalal submitted Billy Quarantillo, Jarno Errens, and Jack Shore before drawing perennial contender Calvin Kattar at UFC Fight Night 251 in February. Zalal won the bout by unanimous decision. His head coach, [autotag]Marc Montoya[/autotag], explains how Zalal was able to turn his career around.

“With Youssef, we had a lot of success early in his first run in the UFC, he was 3-0,” Montoya told MMA Junkie Radio. “Unfortunately he caught some failure after that. Some of it was short-notice stuff, some of it was some inexperience, and some of it was just timing, and it just didn’t work out. So, where I saw it the most was on the regional scene. He did this tournament where he would fight three times in one night.

“You box first, you do kickboxing second, and then you do MMA third. If you lose the boxing match, you don’t get paid any money. If you win the kickboxing match, you advance to MMA. But, if you lose the kickboxing match, you get paid very little, as well. The risk there was super high, but what I saw in the training there was just his evolution already leading up to all of that. Not just physically, but mentally.”

Zalal now finds himself in the UFC’s featherweight rankings after his win over Kattar. Montoya had the 28-year-old Moroccan level up during training camp.

“When we just fought Kattar, I brought in Olympic-level boxers for him,” Montoya said. “He trained with (Justin) Gaethje and (Cory) Sandhagen, and of course all his teammates at Factory X. But we just put all these obstacles in front of him and allowed him to work through some of that. It’s not like he always succeeds in all of it instantly.

“But what he’s learned from his first stint in the UFC was, if I’m going to fail, I’ve got to learn from my failure, and I can do that quickly. I don’t need to wait until I get in the cage to do that, and I think that’s one of the things that’s helped him a lot in his mental transition to get to where he is now.”

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UFC’s Youssef Zalal nails Kevin Hart impression. Who knew?!?

Youssef Zalal has a three-pronged philosophy about how to stay grounded. Plus, he does a mean Kevin Hart.

[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] has a three-pronged philosophy about how to stay grounded.

A fourth unofficial philosophy might be to make sure his impression game is strong. It not only could be a hit at parties, but who knows what it could lead to?

It turns out Zalal’s impression of superstar comedian and actor Kevin Hart is pretty spot-on. Ahead of a featherweight fight against longtime contender Calvin Kattar at UFC Fight Night 251 on Feb. 15 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+), Zalal showed off his talent to MMA Junkie Radio.

You can see and hear the remarkable audial doppelganger in the video above. But as for the philosophy Zalal has, it’s a tenant that goes beyond doing a good Kevin Hart.

“Discipline, consistency and faith is most important in life,” Zalal told MMA Junkie Radio. “You have those three things, I think you can go anywhere you want. Anything you want in this world, you can have. I don’t care what your faith is. I don’t care what you believe in. You have something that you believe in, it means you know you’re not above everybody. I feel like some people forget that and get plateaued and we forget about that stuff.

“I know I’m a human. I’ve lost before. I know there’s a lot of things that can happen in life and outside life and stuff like that. But I stay consistent and I stay disciplined to my game and to my culture and it’s paying off.”

The 36-year-old Moroccan featherweight is in his second stint with the UFC. He currently is on a six-fight winning streak, all finishes, with three straight submission wins in his return to the UFC.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 251.

Youssef Zalal gets motivation from 15 minutes with UFC champ Ilia Topuria

Youssef Zalal has seen his career do a pretty major 180-degree turnaround the past few years.

[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] has seen his career do a pretty major 180-degree turnaround the past few years.

The 36-year-old Moroccan featherweight won his first three fights in the UFC by decision, but then had three straight decisions losses and a draw and found himself on the outs and trying to get back in.

In late 2022, he started a three-fight finish streak for Sparta Combat League and got back to the UFC nine months ago. Since then, he’s had three straight submission finishes and two bonuses.

But ahead of his next big test, Zalal gives a lot of credit to his first UFC loss as a learning experience. It came against current featherweight champion and 2024 Male Fighter of the Year Ilia Topuria.

“He’s the reason why I fought to get back to the UFC as soon as I got kicked out of the UFC,” Zalal told MMA Junkie Radio. “He became a champion like a year after, and that was my full motivator, my soul, the guy that I’m coming after. That’s literally who I’m coming after. It doesn’t matter. Obviously, I know the challenge to go there. It’s going to be a lot.

“… There’s a lot of names are going to come my way that I really have to face and go through. But 100 percent, this is always snapped in back in my head: OK, I fought the champion of the world. Obviously he got better, so my main thing is to improve my skill and trying to get to that level and catch up to that guy and and really show what I’m about and show all the things that I said and I will do.”

In 2024, Zalal stopped Billy Quarantillo, Jarno Errens and Jack Shore, and next takes on longtime contender Calvin Kattar at UFC Fight Night 251 on Feb. 15 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+).

This current six-fight tear with six finishes, including four in the first round, is a major departure from his first run in the UFC – which saw him in seven straight 15-minute grinders.

The loss to the champ came in Topuria’s UFC debut. The fact he went the distance with him might be a moral victory. The only other fighter to avoid a finish against Topuria in his career is Josh Emmett, who took him 25 minutes in a Fight of the Night headliner one bout before Topuria won the belt against Alexander Volkanovski.

“The biggest lesson is experience,” Zalal said. “I feel like people forget about that. You can tell the difference between an exciting, young, hungry guy and then an experienced guy. … That’s the biggest thing I took from my first run in the UFC, and then the second run, … it’s like you have experience behind you and then just having fun and a blast and doing what you love, which is fight in front of millions of people. That excites me. I want to be that showman that everybody talks about.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 251.

Youssef Zalal: Calvin Kattar’s losing skid makes him ‘scary’ at UFC Fight Night 251

Youssef Zalal says Calvin Kattar is “fighting for his position” as a top featherweight when they meet at UFC Fight Night 251.

[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] has been spectacular in his second UFC stint, and now he’s looking to level things up further in the biggest fight of his career.

After putting together a 2024 campaign that included three submission wins against Billy Quarantillo, Jarno Errens and Jack Shore, the surging Zalal now draws longtime contender Calvin Kattar at UFC Fight Night 251, which takes place Feb. 15 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+).

It’s a compelling crossroads matchup, because while Zalal (16-5-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) is riding high with tons of momentum, the same can’t be said for Kattar (23-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC), who has dropped his past three fights and hasn’t won since January 2022.

“He’s fighting for his position, and that’s a scary fighter to fight,” Zalal told MMA Junkie Radio. “Obviously everyone knows who Calvin Kattar is. He’s been in the game for so long and been through so many crazy fights, so I’m definitely preparing for the best Calvin I can ever prepare for it. He’s going to be a very dangerous Calvin, and I’m excited for that puzzle.”

At 36 and with some significant injuries in recent years, the questions about Kattar’s current situation are fair. The defeats during his losing skid are only to elite names in Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen and Josh Emmett, though, and Zalal hasn’t proven himself to be on that level yet.

Zalal, 28, sees this as his opportunity to make a statement in the featherweight division, and he said he’s not going to make the mistake of thinking Kattar is a diminished version of his prime self.

“I’m not underestimating Calvin,” Zalal said. “I don’t care if he’s on a five (fight) losing streak or a three losing streak, I’m preparing for the best Calvin. I’m preparing to show people how good I am, and how good my boxing is and how good my striking is.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 251.

UFC’s Youssef Zalal reflects on how Ilia Topuria loss made him step his game up

Youssef Zalal had no idea how good Ilia Topuria was when he welcomed him to the UFC.

[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] had no idea how good [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] was when he welcomed him to the UFC.

Zalal (16-5-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) was scheduled to face Seung-Woo Choi in October 2020, but Choi was forced out just 10 days’ out from the fight. Topuria stepped in to face Zalal, but “The Moroccan Devil” didn’t know anything about him outside of his 100 percent finish rate.

Topuria swarmed Zalal with his grappling, transitioning from submission to submission. However, Zalal hung tough and was able to escape out of numerous chokes. He rallied to win Round 3, but it was too little, too late.

“The third round he just gassed out, I f*cked him up in the third round,” Zalal said of Topuria on the “JAXXON Podcast.” “I won the third round, but the second round, bro, is like I wish I would have went a little bit more. But, that’s when I went at it and really gave it to him. I was the first guy to ever take him to a decision, and that was his first fight in the UFC.

“After that, he went on a f*cking tear. He like literally knocked out everybody and then Josh Emmett, he 10-7’d Josh Emmett in a round. I was like come on bro, and he just f*cked everybody up. I got kicked out of the UFC after that. After this fight I was on a three-fight losing streak, and then a draw, and then they kicked me out.”

Zalal backed Topuria to retain his featherweight title vs. Max Holloway at UFC 308, but was impressed regardless when “El Matador” became the first fighter to ever knock out Holloway.

”You knock out Max Holloway bro, like come on bro, like that sh*t broke my heart,” Zalal said. “F*ck, but yeah bro, I was on his ass. I was like, f*ck, bro. He’s the only guy literally I’ve been chasing since I got kicked out of the UFC, and he became a champion, and that was my way to go. I have to step my game up bro, there’s no way.”

Since rejoining the UFC roster, Zalal has been on a tear with three-straight submission wins and two Performance of the Night bonuses. His streak earned him a big opportunity against Calvin Kattar (23-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 251 on Feb. 15 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 251.

Calvin Kattar vs. Youssef Zalal in the works for February’s UFC Fight Night 251

Youssef Zalal’s big 2024 has resulted in a marquee fight to kick off his UFC calendar in 2025.

After a big 2024, [autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] has earned himself a marquee matchup.

At UFC Fight Night 251 on Feb. 15, Zalal (16-5-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) will battle perennial featherweight contender [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (23-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in a three-round bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire card streams on ESPN+.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Zalal also discussed the matchup on a recent episode of the “JAXXON Podcast.”

Zalal was cut from the UFC in 2022, but worked his way back into the promotion in 2024. He was signed for a short-notice return bout vs. Billy Quarantillo, who he submitted. Jarno Errens and Jack Shore faced the same fate thereafter, falling victim to Zalal’s slick jiu-jitsu skills.

Kattar aims to snap a three-fight skid that includes defeats against Josh Emmett, Arnold Allen, and most recently, Aljamain Sterling. Kattar was scheduled to fight Kyle Nelson in September, but withdrew due to injury.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 251 lineup includes:

  • Jared Cannonier vs. Gregory Rodrigues
  • Edson Barboza vs. Steve Garcia
  • Calvin Kattar vs. Youssef Zalal
  • Yuneisy Duben vs. Carli Judice
  • Ismael Bonfim vs. Nazim Sadykhov
  • Gabriel Bonfim vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
  • Jose Delgado vs. Connor Matthews
  • Billy Ray Goff vs. Nikolay Veretennikov
  • Dylan Budka vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
  • Vince Morales vs. Elijah Smith
  • Jesus Aguilar vs. Rafael Estevam
  • Don’Tale Mayes vs. Valter Walker
  • Kaue Fernandes vs. Jared Gordon
  • Rodolfo Vieira vs. opponent TBA

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 251.

MMA Junkie’s 2024 Comeback Fighter of the Year: Francis Ngannou

Persevering through tragedy, changing brands, and a boxing side mission, Francis Ngannou returned to MMA with a bang in 2024.

The road back to MMA was long and winding for [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag].

But when it was time to step back into the cage again, he did so with a bang. In what was his first fight in 34 months, Ngannou smashed the towering Rennan Ferreira in PFL: Battle of the Giants in October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He finished the fight with strikes at 3:32 of Round 1.

Ngannou’s win came in his first appearance since his UFC exit that was announced in January 2023. The split was highly-publicized with both Ngannou and UFC CEO Dana White standing firm on their ground.

Ngannou ultimately signed with PFL, which allowed him to take boxing matches. Ngannou first boxed then-heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in October 2023, and nearly shocked the world. However, it was Fury that won the split decision despite being knocked down. Many viewers disagreed with the judges.

Five months later in March, Ngannou re-entered the ring. Against Anthony Joshua, the outcome was more decisive. Joshua brutally folded Ngannou over backward with knockout blows in Round 2.

One month later, Ngannou announced on social media the death of his 15-month-old son, Kobe. Crushed, Ngannou later revealed the devastating incident nearly resulted in his retirement.

Instead, Ngannou decided retirement would do his son’s memory a disservice. He then accepted the long-awaited bout with Ferreira and ended it swiftly.

Through business and public drama to devastating losses both in and outside the cage, Ngannou was not deterred. He bounced back big in 2024, keeping his name in the discussion for who is the world’s best heavyweight.

Ngannou is the 2024 MMA Junkie Comeback Fighter of the Year.

Honorable mention: Youssef Zalal

Nov 2, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Jack Shore (red gloves) fights Youssef Zalal (blue gloves) in a featherweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

It’s hard enough to make it to the UFC once. It’s even harder to do it twice.

Not only did [autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] do enough on the regional scene for matchmaker Sean Shelby to bring him back, he now sits on the cusp of a potential ranked matchup to start 2025.

Zalal was cut in 2022 after a 3-3-1 stint. After three MMA wins and two kickboxing wins outside the promotion, Zalal stepped into a short-notice opportunity opposite Billy Quarantillo in March 2024. He won the fight by second-round rear-naked choke.

The same submission hold won him his next fight in August. That time, Jarno Errens was the victim. To close the year, Zalal utilized an arm-triangle choke to tap Jack Shore and move him to 3-0 in an eight-month stretch.

Youssef Zalal sets goal to headline a UFC event in 2025: ‘I’m on the path of doing that’

UFC featherweight prospect Youssef Zalal wants to headline a UFC card in 2025.

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – UFC event headliner. That’s a label [autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] wants to have by the end of 2025.

The rising UFC featherweight prospect has had a stellar return to the promotion. Zalal (16-5-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) returned earlier this year after being cut in 2022 and has picked up three consecutive submission wins in the octagon, including Saturday at UFC Fight Night 246.

Zalal was not only confident he was going to put away Jack Shore (17-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC), but that he was also going to kill it in his return to the UFC.

“This is what I expected,” Zalal told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 246 post-fight press conference. “This is the pressure that I put on myself. I feel like before, I was just like, ‘Oh I just want to win,’ and I tell this to my coaches and team and young, upcoming guys: ‘Winning is cool, but performing is better.’ This is the difference between being good and being elite.'”

For Zalal, the next step goes beyond getting a good name for his next outing. He’s also like to compete in the main event of a UFC card.

“I’ve been calling all these guys out,” Zalal said. “I called (out Edson) Barboza. I called Alex Caceres. I called all those guys. My goal is to headline a card in 2025, and I’m on the path of doing that. I’ll keep doing what I need to do to earn that spot, and my time will come.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 246.

UFC Fight Night 246 post-event facts: Edmonton return produces third-longest card in UFC history

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 246, which was the third-longest event in UFC history in terms of fight time.

UFC Fight Night 246 on Saturday opened the promotion’s November event schedule with a 13-fight lineup that went down at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

In the main event, former flyweight champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (22-8-2 MMA, 10-4-2 UFC) returned from a self-imposed hiatus with force to batter and bloody [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for five rounds en route to a unanimous decision.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 246.

* * * *

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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $196,500.

[autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag], [autotag]Jasmine Jasudavicius[/autotag], [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag], [autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag]. earned $50,000 UFC Fight Night 246 fight-night bonuses.

UFC Fight Night 246 had an announced attendance of 16,439 for a live gate of $2,600,463.

Betting favorites went 11-2 on the card.

Betting favorites improved to 27-10 in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the 13-bout card was 3:06:38.

The 3:06:38 of total fight time marked the third-longest event in UFC history behind UFC 263 (3:19:32) and UFC 251 (3:07:27).

Moreno improved to 7-3-2 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September 2019.

Moreno’s 10 victories in UFC flyweight competition are tied for fourth-most in divisional history behind Demetrious Johnson (13), Joseph Benavidez (13) and Alexandre Pantoja (12).

Moreno has earned four of his 10 UFC victories by decision.

Albazi has suffered both of his career losses by decision.

Albazi has completed at least one takedown against all six of his UFC opponents.

[autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) has earned four of her seven UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) fell to 2-2 since she moved up to the women’s flyweight division in September 2023.

Namajunas has suffered five of her seven career losses by decision.

[autotag]Brendson Ribeiro[/autotag] (16-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC) earned the first decision victory of his career.

[autotag]Caio Machado[/autotag] (8-4-1 MMA, 0-3 UFC) was unsuccessful in his light heavyweight debut.

Machado has suffered all four of his career losses by decision.

[autotag]Jasmine Jasudavicius[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) has earned both of her UFC stoppage victories by submission.

[autotag]Ariane da Silva[/autotag] (17-10 MMA, 6-7 UFC) suffered the first submission loss of her career.

[autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 2-6 UFC) has earned two of his three UFC victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Mike Malott[/autotag] (11-2-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) earned the first decision victory of his career.

[autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag] (16-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) fell to 2-4 since he dropped to the welterweight division in January 2022.

Giles suffered the first decision loss of his career.

[autotag]Aiemann Zahabi[/autotag]’s (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) five-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is tied for the third-longest active streak in the division behind Merab Dvalishvili (10) and Mario Bautista (seven).

Zahabi has earned four of his six UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag] (20-10 MMA, 10-10 UFC) fell to 1-5 with one no contest in his past seven fights dating back to August 2021.

Munhoz has suffered all 10 of his career losses by decision.

[autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag] (16-8-1 MMA, 7-7-1 UFC) was successful in his UFC bantamweight debut.

Jourdain has earned 14 of his 16 career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 3-2 UFC) suffered his first stoppage loss with a submission defeat.

[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] (16-5-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) improved to 3-0 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in March 2024.

Zalal has earned 13 of his 16 career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) fell to 1-2 since he moved up to the featherweight division in March 2023.

Shore has suffered all three of his career losses by stoppage.

Shore has suffered two of his three career losses by submission.

[autotag]Chad Anheliger[/autotag] (13-8 MMA, 1-3 UFC) has suffered two of his three UFC losses by decision.

[autotag]Jamey-Lyn Horth[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned both of her UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Ivana Petrovic[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered both of her career losses by decision.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 246.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on X @MJCflipdascript.

UFC Fight Night 246 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2024 total passes $7 million

The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program has now paid out more than $7 million to athletes in 2024.

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 246 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $196,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 246 took place at Rogers Place. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 246 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Brendson Ribeiro[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Caio Machado[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jasmine Jasudavicius[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ariane da Silva[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Mike Malott[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Aiemann Zahabi[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Serhiy Sidey[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Garrett Armfield[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Cody Gibson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Chad Anheliger[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jamey-Lyn Horth[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ivana Petrovic[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2461 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,092,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $29,829,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 246.