Believe it or not, if it weren’t for the appeal of Charles Oliveira, Michael Chandler would probably still wait for Conor McGregor. Anybody but Chandler could lead the McGregor sweepstakes now. But away from the ‘Mac’ money fight payout, he and ‘Do Bronx’ are now poised for big salary on their own. They meet at the UFC 309 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main bill this Saturday.
In May 2021, Oliveira and Chandler engaged in one of UFC’s best lightweight title bouts. They went toe-to-toe for just over five action-packed minutes in the main bill of UFC 262. However, the Brazilian got the better of Chandler in the second frame. Rolling into this fight, Chandler is looking to rebound from that.
The Brazilian submission legend won the vacant strap, had his chapter, and even lost the running to be the No. 1 seed against Arman Tsarukyan. Meanwhile, Chandler still holds to the mark of being a PPV spotlight and berserker. When they enter the simulcast of UFC 309 (PPV, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) Co-mains at 10 p.m. ET, they are all but predicted for a shot at the 155-pound belt. Hence. they are gearing up for a big fight payout. Here’s a look into what they can earn.
Salary of Michael Chandler at UFC 309
Michael Chandler is already bloated before he rematches Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309 – at Madison Square Garden in New York. Chandler earned four performance bonuses and a shot at the lightweight title in his sophomore UFC outing. He is a must-watch television any time he walks to the Octagon and his UFC 309 salary can prove just that.
One of Chandler’s biggest payouts was $303,500 for his UFC debut against Dan Hooker at UFC 257. He banked a base salary of $250,000 against Oliveira in the first go. That incremented to $350,000 base pay against “highlight” Justin Gaethje. Per the comprehensive UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay tiers, he made a base of $500,000 against Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier.
“Iron” made a win bonus of $500,000 against Ferguson, and $4,500 in sponsorship and brand sales perpetuity royalty payouts ($1,074,500 all-in). Chandler will again earn in the bracket of $500,000. His $50k guaranteed purse can see an extra $100k win bonus and $21k sponsorship payout if he snags the said win. Along with pay-per-view sales, that could graze the million mark easily.
Salary of Charles Oliveira at UFC 309
Oliveira never lost the lightweight crown. He was stripped of it before defending against Gaethje when he failed to make weight. His bid against Islam Makhchev did not go all too well in the end. But Charles Oliveira remains a bonafide 155-pound legend and it shows in his fight payouts.
Lightweight standout Charles Oliveira could see yet another big payout (Source: superlutas.com.br)He earned in a bracket of $115,000 and made another $115,000 win bonus against Ferguson. The Team Chute Boxe – Diego Lima Orthodox increased to a bracket of $250,000 against Chandler. ‘Do Bronx’ also made $400,000 in win bonus/PPV buys. Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira made in a bracket of $600,000 against ‘Diamond’ with $1,050,00 in win/PPV buys.
The Brazilian earned in a bracket of $1,000,000 base salary for Makhachev and Beneil Dariush. He made a base of $750,000 against ‘Ahalkalakets’ despite dropping a title eliminator. This time around he has the benefit of a past fight with Chandler on his resume – an early R2 knockout. This time too, he will make a $500,000 base payout. Should he win against Chandler, his $50k purse can go up to $100k with a $16k sponsorship payout at UFC 309.
