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Dana White: Paddy Pimblett always finds a way to win (0:48)
Dana White joins "The Pat McAfee Show" to preview Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong and Paddy Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 in Las Vegas. (0:48)
Brett OkamotoJan 24, 2026, 11:07 AM ET
- Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
The UFC is doubling the amounts of its long-running fight night bonus structure, as well as awarding a bonus for every single finish inside the Octagon.
The new bonus structure will take effect at UFC 324 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Traditionally, the UFC has awarded four $50,000 bonuses at every event -- two to the card's top performers, and one to each of the athletes involved in the "fight of the night." Those fight night bonuses will now be worth $100,000. Additionally, however, the UFC will hand out a $25,000 bonus to every athlete who records a finish but fails to win one of the $100,000 bonuses.
UFC CEO Dana White has teased an increase in bonuses since the promotion signed a seven-year U.S. broadcast deal with Paramount Skydance Corp. worth $7.7 billion. White broke news of the new bonus structure to Sports Business Journal.
The UFC determines all bonus winners internally at each event. At times, the company has awarded more than four bonuses on a night, depending on the quality of the card. White has also occasionally raised the financial figures of each bonus, such as increasing them to $300,000 each to celebrate UFC 300 in April 2024.
UFC 324 on Saturday is headlined by Justin Gaethje, one of the company's all-time leaders in fight night bonuses. Gaethje has won 14 bonuses in his UFC career. The record is held by former champion Charles Oliveira with 21.
