This year’s first pay-per-view event, UFC 297, started with a banger card where we saw two new champions, Raquel Pennington and Dricus Du Plessis, defying the odds to claim all the glory. Now, there is a lot of talk about the main event, as two of the elite middleweights of the division set the octagon on fire with a fight that was an absolute war. After this intense, blood-and-bruised fight, one question that fans are really curious about is how much money The South African racked up with his title win.
While the purses and payouts are highly confidential, and the numbers are always kept hidden, some reports indicate specific estimates for the fight. Talking about UFC 297’s purse, Du Plessis currently lies under the $350k belt of the UFC. And it is reported by The Sports Daily that he will be earning the same amount as his guaranteed fight purse.
In addition to that, the South African will earn an additional $32k for sponsorships and, being the “Fight of the Night,” he will receive a bonus of $50k. Furthermore, the UFC 297 PPV points will contribute to his overall income, bringing the total to an estimated $500k. It’s important to note that these figures are only estimates and not confirmed figures.
#AndNew @dricusduplessis #UFC297 pic.twitter.com/j4W7x1Rq21
— danawhite (@danawhite) January 21, 2024
Talking about Strickland, despite losing the fight, he earned over $540k, which is guaranteed and excludes the PPV numbers. Now that “Stillknocks” won the fight, fans are looking forward to who he will fight next, as there are many in line.
UFC 297: What’s next for Dricus Du Plessis after winning the Middleweight title?
From having a rematch with Sean Strickland to potential fights against Khamzat Chimaev and
Alex Pereira, Du Plessis, has numerous options for his next move. In his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, he revealed his next opponent–none other than his former rival, Israel Adesanya. In his words,
“I saw Alex Pereira get in the cage and I thought, ‘Okay, here we go again, let’s do the face off now and see if I can but it looks like that’s not happening. It was another guy who tried to take my shine, he lost this shine now I have your shine, you didn’t get into the cage tonight. But Israel Adesanya get your a** back in the UFC so we can settle the score.”
Adesanya, reacting to the South African fighter winning the belt, stated that he manifested it as he wanted to seek revenge against Du Plessis for past issues. Now that “Stillknocks” has showed his intentions to fight Izzy next, it seems fans might soon witness Adesanya and Du Plessis fighting next for the middleweight title.
