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UFC 298 is a good looking event, even if it is a bit top heavy in regards to rankings and name value. Almost all of the good fights are packed into the main card portion, leaving only Mackenzie Dern’s fight with Amanda Lemos and Rinya Nakamura’s fight with Carlos Vera as the standouts from the prelims. And speaking of Mackenzie Dern, from the looks of the reported purse payouts (remember, we are in California today at the Honda Center), Dern is making more for her guaranteed purse (the “show” money) than former champ-champ Henry Cejudo is.
LA Times reporter Manouk Akopyan obtained the minimum payouts list from CSAC, which show Cejudo is making $50K less than Dern. If we take a trip back in our memory palaces, we’ll recall that Henry has been making small purses for some time now. When he ended Demetrious Johnson’s 11-fight run, claiming the title in the process, he received just $100K for doing so. As a matter of fact, Cejudo’s (former?) coach, Eric Albarracin told a story about Johnson feeling like his hand was forced if he didn’t take a title fight for just $80K.
“I think I told you the story about Demetrious Johnson,” Albarracin told Luke Thomas. “He took almost a pay cut to take that fight and that’s why we’re here today. Everybody told him, ‘Don’t take this fight. They’re not paying you enough. You’re still on your contract from when you fought Sergio Pettis.’ And he was like, ‘No, if I don’t take this fight, it’ll be two years before I get this fight or they’ll get rid of the weight class or something. No, we’re gonna take this fight. I can beat him. It’s now. It’s now or never.’”
“So just think, I think he made $80,000 that fight. It’s time to pay up. It’s great that he has 21 pounds of gold on his shoulder and resting on his chest, but he needs to have it in his bank account as well.”
Of course it should be noted that Henry was/is under management with Ali Abdel-Aziz who negotiates his purses, so do with that information what you will. In a space where most (not all) managers are self-serving, Cejudo’s chosen one remains one of the most controversial figures in the community, and is often considered more of a broker for the UFC than someone concerned with fiduciary duty to his clients.
Dern was a popular figure right out of the gate. Her first fight inside the octagon was met with tons of anticipation, and since then, she’s remained a “must-watch” fighter. We all wait with baited breath to see if this camp change or that one will be the magic trick that will shore up her striking weaknesses, while laboring under the knowledge that no matter her insufficiencies, we always get an action-packed contest when she’s in the cage.
And that is probably the number one reason she makes more than Cejudo. She moves the proverbial needle. I’m not saying Henry doesn’t, just not to the degree that she does. The number two reason is almost certainly down to her management negotiating well for her. She signed with Paradigm Sports Management a few years ago, the company known for repping Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping and numerous stick and ball stars.
UFC 298 might be the last time we see payouts in California
With the California Athletic Commission having recently acquiesced to UFC pressure by approving Power Slap for sanctioning, it stands to reason that at some point in the not so distant future, we could see purse payout information disappear, as it has with nearly all the commissions. California’s AC also (at least for now) reports how much athletes gain between weigh-ins and fight day. Hopefully, both disclosures continue in the future.
What comes after UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria?
The next event after UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria will be UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 on February 24th. That card is taking place at the Arena CDMX Mexico City, Mexico and the main event will enjoy a rematch between Top-5 flyweights Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval. The co-main event has an even better rematch than that when elite featherweights Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega run it back.
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