Athletic commissions rarely disclose salaries for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) athletes nowadays, but California still does.
That gives us an official look at the guaranteed purses and win bonuses paid out at UFC 331, which took place last night (Sat., Sept. 19, 2026) inside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
And the fighters certainly worked for their money because UFC 331 was an ultra-violent event.
Main event loser and former UFC Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja received the
evening’s biggest disclosed purse, collecting a flat $650,000 despite falling short in his attempt to reclaim the title. Reigning 125-pound champion Joshua Van, who successfully defended his belt for the second time, earned a flat $500,000.
Patricio Pitbull and Marlon Vera were the next-highest earners at $400,000 apiece after both scored impressive victories.
Arman Tsarukyan and Tai Tuivasa each collected $350,000. Tsarukyan violently knocked out Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event (watch highlights), while Tuivasa dropped a split decision to Robelis Despaigne and is now tied for the longest losing streak in UFC history.
Another notable payday belonged to Gable Steveson, who earned $160,000 despite suffering a stunning 12-second knockout loss to Sean Sharaf (watch highlights).
Sharaf’s disclosed purse was only $60,000, but his historic upset also earned him a $100,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus.
Checkout the full list of payments (courtesy of MMAJunkie) below:
UFC 331 Main Card
- Joshua Van: $500,000
- Alexandre Pantoja: $650,000
- Arman Tsarukyan: $350,000
- Mauricio Ruffy: $110,000
- Patricio Pitbull: $400,000 ($200k/$200k win)
- Doo Ho Choi: $85,000
- Gable Steveson: $160,000
- Sean Sharaf: $60,000 ($30k/$30k win)
- Alonzo Menifield: $310,000 ($155k/$155k win)
- Iwo Baraniewski: $50,000
UFC 331 ‘Prelims’
- Marlon Vera: $400,000 ($200k/$200k win)
- Charles Jourdain: $108,000
- Tai Tuivasa: $350,000
- Robelis Despaigne: $200,000 ($100k/$100k win)
- Michael Aswell: $60,000 ($30k/$30k win)
- JooSang Yoo: $12,000
- Ryan Gandra: $28,000 ($14k/$14k win)
- Ozzy Diaz: $25,000
- Edmen Shahbazyan: $250,000 ($125k/$125k win)
- Brunno Ferreira: $95,000
- Casey O’Neill: $132,000 ($66k/$66k win)
- Eduarda Moura: $33,000
- Giga Chikadze: $93,000
- Joanderson Brito: $158,000 ($79k/$79k win)
Keep in mind the payouts listed above do not include fight bonuses, promotional compliance sponsorships, or other unofficial payments. It also does not include deductions for expenses such as insurance, taxes, etc.
For complete UFC 331 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
