UFC 324

 Justin Gaethje, Paddy Pimblett Among 1st Fighters to Get Historic New Bonus Prize Money At UFC 324

ufc 324

Justin Gaethje, Paddy Pimblett, Ty Miller and Josh Hokit were the first beneficiaries of UFC's new prize money structure put in place following its new $7.7 billion media rights deal with Paramount.

Alexander K. Lee of MMA Fighting reported that Gaethje and Pimblett received $100,000 each for participating in the fight of the night during UFC 324 on Saturday.

What's more, Miller and Hokit received bonuses for giving the best individual performances. 

UFC president Dana White explained to Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal that bonuses would increase from $200,000 to at least $400,000 per event. Additionally, those who competed in the fight of the night and those who turned in the best individual showings would receive $100,000 each under the new system.

Those aren't the only bonuses, as those fighters who win via knockout or submission are also in line for $25,000 bonuses under the new system. 

Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Nikita Krylov were rewarded accordingly Saturday, although Alex Perez was not despite his knockout win because he was ineligible for the bonus after missing weight Friday.

There were some parallels between the individual performances of bonus-winners Miller and Hokit.

Lee noted they each won via knockout with one second remaining in the opening round with Miller defeating Adam Fugitt and Hokit defeating Denzel Freeman.

The opportunity for fighters to make additional money through these bonuses is a result of an increase in the media-rights deal. UFC's previous deal with ESPN was $1.5 billion over the course of five years.

What's more, UFC is streaming its fights on Paramount Plus with some airing on CBS as part of the new deal, which marks a shift away from the traditional pay-per-view model. UFC 324 was the first event under the new Paramount deal.

The fight between Gaethje and Pimblett for the interim lightweight championship was the main event.

Gaethje won by unanimous decision after controlling extended stretches of the fight. He knocked Pimblett down a handful of times, although the latter never quit and continued to apply pressure until Gaethje was ruled the victor.