The UFC is back on the road, and this time it made a big splash in London—the first of what’s expected to be several trips to the British capital this year. Fans were buzzing, the O2 was packed, and what they witnessed was remarkable. Former welterweight champion Leon Edwards lost to Sean Brady in a high-stakes 170 lbs showdown.
But as much as fans were hyped for the action inside the Octagon, there’s always that lingering question: How much are these guys getting paid? With a main event of this magnitude, you can bet both fighters are cashing in big. So, let’s break down the estimated purses and payouts for Edwards and Brady from UFC London.
Fight purses for UFC Fight Night 255
For Brady, this was arguably the biggest fight of his career, and the payday reflects that. He earned around $466k at UFC Vegas 97 but for this one? He’s expected to walk away with nearly double that—around $932,000. Brady was awarded with a guaranteed $50,000 bonus for his win.
Although Edwards lost, he has been climbing the pay ladder for a while now. Back at UFC 286, when he beat Kamaru Usman, he pulled in around $1.54 million—that included a $500k base salary, another $500k win bonus, about $500k from pay-per-view points, and $42k in sponsorships. Not bad, right?
But his biggest payday came at UFC 296 against Colby Covington, where he reportedly raked in a massive $3.14 million.
Since the London fight wasn’t for the title, his paycheck could dip slightly—around the $2 million mark. This is also due to the fact that he will not be getting any PPV points or any of the benefits that come with being a champion and sharing the revenues generated by the UFC.
However, even if he were getting said PPV points, recent reports suggest it wouldn’t have amounted to much. The UFC is struggling to sell PPVs, to the point, where it’s causing a rift with its current broadcaster ESPN.
UFC boss, Dana White announced four bonuses tonight, as UFC London almost did double the numbers as the next international Fight Night on the list.
With 18,583 fans and a gate of $4.71 million, UFC’s venture to the English capital put UFC Louisville, which brought in $2.5 million back in June 2024 to shame.
Despite this, fans remained unhappy with the event. UK is one of UFC’s most prominent markets and the London Fight Night should have reflected it, which means, multiple top fighters, highly ranked, possibly fighting for a title shot.
However, this was not to be. Even though Carlos Ulberg and Brady won, neither victors had much at stake tonight. In fact, Ulberg’s win over Jan Blachowicz caused a serious uproar after some fans called the judges’ decision a robbery in his favor.
Fans also accused the UFC of being on a ‘cash-grab scheme‘ by putting on lackluster events – a sentiment that has been echoing through the MMA community for some time. The promotion has managed to ignore these calls but at this point, it seems like the chickens are coming home to roost.
ESPN miffed with UFC over low PPV numbers?
The UFC’s current broadcasting deal with ESPN is set to expire in 2025, and recent events have strained their relationship. Technical issues during UFC 313 on ESPN+ left many fans frustrated, leading to widespread dissatisfaction. It also doesn’t help that the streaming company is reportedly unhappy with the lack of PPV buys.
The lack of buys, however, doesn’t seem surprising since for a while now, the promotion has been accused of hosting a plethora of events without the star power it once used to boast of. Only a few select PPVs through out the year have stacked with A-level superstars, while the others have to do with lesser names.
Viewers have also complained about having to pay $79.99 per PPV in the UFC and having to deal with ads, as the promotion increases the price annually. It should be noted that the UFC has yet to respond to the reports about the lack of PPV buys.
In the meantime, other reports claim that UFC President Dana White is exploring new partnerships, with Netflix emerging as a potential contender. Netflix has been expanding its sports content, recently acquiring WWE’s global rights and successfully broadcasting high-viewer boxing matches.
The UFC is reportedly seeking a significant increase in its next media rights deal, aiming for $1 billion per year, more than double its current agreement. This move could lead to a shift away from traditional pay-per-view models towards subscription-based streaming, potentially offering fans more accessible viewing options.
However, there is an active debate among certain UFC analysts who don’t think the UFC bossman will make a shift from his tried and tested PPV model.
