Merab Dvalishvili earns the 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 originally scheduled main event on weigh-in day, UFC 311 delivered its fair share of excitement and entertaining fights. The most hotly 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 announced fighter pay for the UFC 311 fight card.

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

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

Click here for our full recap 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)

Jamal 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)

Sergey 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 fight 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 in round 3 (strikes to the ground)

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

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

Results for UFC 311 fight card

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 (hits to the head on the ground)

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

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

Results for UFC 311 Fight Card Early Prelims

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 transfer outside of the will to fight and earn a paycheck. The fight was a huge risk for the defending champion as he rode a 14-fight winning streak and tied with BJ Penn, Benson Henderson and his trainer, Khabib Nurmagomedov, for the most title fight wins in UFC history with four. In short, Makhachev had a lot to lose against a fighter he hadn’t trained for and was essentially freerolling in the lightweight title fight.

Makhachev took the match, rolling over the overmatched Moicano, the no. 10 ranked fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings, easily.

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

UFC 311 results: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov

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

In one of the most grueling fights inside the Octagon, Dvalishvili set a pace on Nurmagomedov that the challenger could not sustain. Dvalishvili’s cardio is different. Facing him must be like running an uphill marathon with a 50-pound backpack full of constantly changing fluid with tape over your mouth and one nostril. He throws 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 couldn’t sustain that pace over a five-round fight, costing him his undefeated record.

But with the high quality of the UFC 311 co-main event, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the UFC decide to run it back, as 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 disclose reported UFC fighter salaries.