UFC to award record-high bonuses at WH event

June 13, 2026 No Comments

UFC to award record fight night bonuses at White House eventplayDana White looks ahead to ‘UFC Freedom 250’ at the White House (2:28)Brett OkamotoJun 12, 2026, 11:46 PM ETClose

Brett Okamoto has revealed on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The UFC’s historic event at the White House will feature the largest fight night bonuses ever, CEO Dana White unveiled Friday.

The promotion will award $400,000 bonuses to each participant in the best fight of the night, and two additional $425,000 bonuses will go to the top individual performances of the night. Previously, the largest bonuses awarded were $300,000, at UFC 300 in April 2024.

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White made the announcement during a news conference at the Lincoln Memorial, which was delayed two hours due to lightning. White vowed nothing would stop the UFC Freedom 250 event on Sunday.

“The show goes on, no matter what,” White reported. “I’m sick and tired of talking about the weather. We are fighting on Sunday night on the lawn of the White House, no matter what.”

The UFC had traditionally awarded fight night bonuses of $50,000 before doubling that figure to $100,000 at the start of the year. The increased bonuses came from contributions from World Liberty Financial and Crypto.com.

Justin Gaethje, who faces Ilia Topuria in Sunday’s main event, holds the UFC record for bonuses per fight, with a perfect rate of 15 bonuses in 15 career UFC fights.