UFC 278 Salaries: Kamaru Usman ($500K), Jose Aldo ($400K) Top Payroll

Kamaru Usman didn’t leave UFC 278 with the welterweight belt, but he did take home the highest disclosed payday of anyone on the card.

“The Nigerian Nightmare” earned $500,000 for his fifth-round knockout loss to Leon Edwards in the main event of the Aug. 20 card, which took place at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. Edwards, the newly crowned champion, garnered $350,000 in victory. The Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission recently released a full list of salaries from the event.

Elsewhere, ex-featherweight king Jose Aldo earned $400,000 in a unanimous decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili ($198,000) in a 135-pound matchup on the evening’s main card. All told, seven fighters secured six-figure salaries, including Paulo Costa ($130,000), Luke Rockhold ($200,000) and Marcin Tybura ($240,000).

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Note: The disclosed purses reported by state athletic commissions do not include any performance-based or discretionary bonuses that may be awarded to a fighter by the promotion. Additionally, the reported figures do not reflect any deductions made by the commission for taxes, insurance, etc., and do not include any sponsorship money that a fighter may acquire for their performance.

UFC 278 Salaries:

Leon Edwards: $350,000
Kamaru Usman: $500,000

Paulo Costa: $130,000 (includes $65,000 win bonus)
Luke Rockhold: $200,000

Merab Dvalishvili: $198,000 (includes $99,000 win bonus)
Jose Aldo: $400,000

Lucie Pudilova: $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus)
Yanan Wu: $20,000

Tyson Pedro: $86,000 (includes $43,000 win bonus)
Harry Hunsucker: $12,000

Marcin Tybura: $240,000 (includes $120,000 win bonus)
Alexander Romanov: $36,000

Jared Gordon: $94,000 (includes $47,000 win bonus)
Leonardo Santos $44,000

Sean Woodson: $24,000
Luis Saldana: $14,000

Ange Loosa: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
A.J. Fletcher: $10,000

Amir Albazi: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus)
Francisco Figueiredo: $14,000

Qileng Aori: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
Jay Perrin: $12,000

Victor Altamirano $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
Daniel Lacerda $10,000