Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington Payouts
Robert King
Published Mar 28, 2026
Highlights
- Leon Edwards dominated the fight against Colby Covington, showcasing superior striking and grappling skills, and successfully defended his welterweight title.
- Alexandre Pantoja utilized exceptional grappling abilities to maintain his status as the UFC flyweight champion in a hard-fought battle against Brandon Royval.
- In addition to the titleholders, five fighters earned a $50,000 bonus for their outstanding performances during the event, with Josh Emmett, Ariane Lipski, and Shamil Gaziev receiving the Performance of the Night bonus, and Irene Aldana and Karol Rosa honored with the Fight of the Night.
Colby Covington's trash talk at the last UFC pay-per-view event of 2023 led to an increased payout for Leon Edwards with the controversial star receiving a comparatively lower reported purse. Edwards showcased superior striking and grappling skills compared to Covington, dominating the entire fight from start to finish. Edwards landed more significant strikes and effectively controlled most grappling exchanges, successfully defending his UFC welterweight title. Meanwhile, Alexandre Pantoja utilized his exceptional grappling abilities against Brandon Royval, maintaining his status as the UFC flyweight champion in a hard-fought battle.
In addition to the impressive performances by the titleholders, five other fighters earned a well-deserved $50,000 bonus to their purses for their outstanding displays during the event. Josh Emmett, Ariane Lipski, and Shamil Gaziev received the Performance of the Night bonus, while Irene Aldana and Karol Rosa were honored with the Fight of the Night for their intense bantamweight clash.
UFC 296: Edwards vs Covington: Recap, Results, Highlights
In UFC 296 Leon Edwards retains his title in the final card of the year. Here are the highlights and results.Leon Edwards Reportedly Cashes In Big With UFC 297 Win
Rocky Edwards Rakes In Over $1 Million
Since July 2020, the Nevada Athletic Commission has implemented a policy of keeping all combat sports purses confidential. However, based on sources and previously disclosed purses, the estimated total payouts for UFC 296 are as follows: Leon Edwards received $1,700,000, Alexandre Pantoja earned $900,000, Colby Covington secured $600,000, Stephen Thompson accumulated $500,000, Tony Ferguson obtained $500,000, Cody Garbrandt gained $161,000, Brandon Royval acquired $180,000, Josh Emmett received $160,000, Shavkat Rakhmonov garnered $80,000, Paddy Pimblett earned $300,000.
Irene Aldana secured $100,000, Ariane Lipski and Andre Fili both received $80,000, Karol Rosa obtained $80,000, Alonzo Menifield amassed $80,000, Bryce Mitchell and Dustin Jacoby both earned $90,000, Shamil Gaziev received $60,000, Brian Kelleher secured $90,000, Casey O’Neill gained $60,000, Cody Duren and Martin Buday both earned $56,000, and Tagir Ulanbekov and Lucas Almeida received $34,500 and $28,500, respectively.
Bryce Mitchell Suffers A Seizure After Vicious Knockout By Josh Emmett At UFC 296
Bryce Mitchell fights on short notice at UFC 296 and gets knockout.UFC 296 Promotional Guidelines Compliance Pay
UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy Payout Totaled $339,500
The comprehensive breakdown of UFC 296 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts is as follows, per MMA Junkie:
- Leon Edwards: $42,000 (victory over Colby Covington, who earned $32,000)
- Alexandre Pantoja: $42,000 (victory over Brandon Royval, who earned $32,000)
- Shavkat Rakhmonov: $6,000 (victory over Stephen Thompson, who earned $16,000)
- Paddy Pimblett: $4,500 (victory over Tony Ferguson, who earned $21,000)
- Josh Emmett: $11,000 (victory over Bryce Mitchell, who earned $6,000)
- Alonzo Menifield: $11,000 (victory over Dustin Jacoby, who earned $11,000)
- Irene Aldana: $11,000 (victory over Karol Rosa, who earned $6,000)
- Cody Garbrandt: $11,000 (victory over Brian Kelleher, who earned $16,000)
- Ariane Lipski: $11,000 (victory over Casey O'Neill, who earned $6,000)
- Tagir Ulanbekov: $4,500 (victory over Cody Durden, who earned $6,000)
- Andre Fili: $21,000 (victory over Lucas Almeida, who earned $4,000)
- Shamil Gaziev: $4,000 (victory over Martin Buday, who earned $4,500)
These payouts are determined by the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program, which allocates funds from Venum's multi-year sponsorship with the UFC. Fighter compensation is based on the total number of their UFC bouts, including Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts.
