Merab Dvalishvili Earns Highest Reported Fighter Payout

Tonight’s UFC 311 fight card was the first pay-per-view event of the year for the MMA promotion. Despite losing its initially scheduled main event on weigh-in day, UFC 311 delivered its fair share of excitement and entertaining fights. The most eagerly anticipated bouts on the card saw UFC champions Islam Makhachev and Merab Dvalishvili retain their titles in the main event and co-main event. Below, we look at disclosed fighter pay for the UFC 311 fight card.

Somewhat surprisingly, the challenger in the main event, Renato Moicano, earned a higher reported payout than the defending lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

The main card for UFC 311 streamed on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+. UFC 311 took place at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

Click here for our full breakdown of the UFC 311 fight card.

UFC 311 Disclosed Fighter Pay:

Islam Makhachev: $200,000 (no win bonus)

Renato Moicano: $250,000 (no win bonus)

Merab Dvalishvili: $500,000 (no win bonus)

Umar Nurmagomedov: $100,000 (no win bonus)

Jiri Prochazka: $250,000 ($200,000 plus $50,000 win bonus)

Jamahal Hill: $200,000

Kevin Holland: $250,000

Reinier de Ridder: $210,000 ($105,000 plus $105,000 win bonus)

Jailton Almeida: $220,000 ($110,000 plus $110,000 win bonus)

Serghei Spivac: $100,000

Payton Talbott: $43,000

Raoni Barcelos: $96,000 ($48,000 plus $48,000 win bonus)

Bogdan Guskov: $86,000 ($43,000 plus $43,000 win bonus)

Billy Elekana: $12,000

Grant Dawson: $212,000 ($106,000 plus $106,000 win bonus)

Diego Ferreira: $100,000

Zachary Reese: $30,000

Azamat Bekoev: $24,000 ($12,000 plus $12,000 win bonus)

Karol Rosa: $75,000

Ailin Perez: $72,000 ($36,000 plus $36,000 win bonus)

Rinya Nakamura: $26,000

Muin Gafurov: $28,000 ($14,000 plus $14,000 win bonus)

Ricky Turcios: $28,000

Bernardo Sopai: $24,000 ($12,000 plus $12,000 win bonus)

Tagir Ulanbekov: $72,000 ($36,000 plus $36,000 win bonus)

Clayton Carpenter: $28,000

*Via MMA Fighting from the California State Athletic Commission

UFC 311 Fight Card Results

UFC 311 Pay-Per-View Card Results

Islam Makhachev defeats Renato Moicano via submission at 4:05 of Round 1 (D’Arce choke)

Merab Dvalishvili defeats Umar Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)

Jiří Procházka defeats Jamahal Hill via TKO at 3:01 of Round 3 (Punches to head on ground)

Jailton Almeida defeats Serghei Spivac via TKO at 4:53 of Round 1 (Punches to head from back control)

Reinier de Ridder defeats Kevin Holland via submission at 3:31 of Round 1 (Rear-naked choke)

UFC 311 Fight Card Prelims Results

Raoni Barcelos defeats Payton Talbott via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Azamat Bekoev defeats Zach Reese via knockout at 3:04 of Round 1 (Strikes to head on ground)

Bogdan Guskov defeats Billy Elekana via submission at 3:33 of Round 2 (Guillotine choke)

Grant Dawson defeats Diego Ferreira via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

UFC 311 Fight Card Early Prelims Results

Ailín Pérez defeats Karol Rosa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Muin Gafurov defeats Rinya Nakamura via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Benardo Sopaj defeats Ricky Turcios via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Tagir Ulanbekov defeats Clayton Carpenter via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

UFC 311 Results: Islam Makhachev Vs. Renato Moicano

In the main event, Islam Makhachev made short work of his late replacement foe, Renato Moicano.

Makhachev had no reason to accept a late replacement outside of the willingness to fight and earn a paycheck. The fight was an enormous risk for the defending champion as he was riding a 14-fight winning streak and tied with BJ Penn, Benson Henderson, and his coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov, for the most title fight wins in UFC history with four. Simply put, Makhachev had much to lose against a fighter he had not trained for and who was essentially on a freeroll in the lightweight title fight.

Makhachev took the fight and rolled over the overmatched Moicano, the No. 10 ranked fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings, with ease.

It won’t be a surprise if the UFC turns around and books him against Arman Tsarukyan, the man he was scheduled to face at UFC 311 before a back injury knocked him from the contest.

UFC 311 Results: Merab Dvalishvili Vs. Umar Nurmagomedov

The evening’s co-main event delivered one of the best bantamweight fights in UFC history. In that matchup, the champ, Merab Dvalishvili, entered the bout as a noticeable betting underdog to the challenger, Umar Nurmagomedov.

In one of the most grueling fights inside the Octagon, Dvalishvili put a pace on Nurmagomedov that the challenger could not sustain. Dvalishvili’s cardio is otherwordly. Facing him must be like running a marathon uphill with a 50-pound backpack full of constantly shifting liquid with tape over your mouth and one nostril. He puts fighters off balance in every way and never gives his opponents a chance to rest or reset. Nurmagomedov did well over the first three rounds, but he could not sustain that pace over a five-round fight, which cost him his unbeaten record.

However, with the high quality of the UFC 311 co-main event, it would not be surprising to see the UFC decide to run it back, for Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov are head and shoulders above the rest of the UFC bantamweight division.

California is one of the few remaining athletic commissions that discloses reported UFC fighter pay.