The UFC is a truly international fighting league, and UFC Paris showcased just that. Hosting the organization’s first-ever card in “The City of Love”, the foreign talents were in abundance, including five fighters who currently call France “home”. UFC Paris had a great showing from the fans and, for the most part, the athletes returned the favor. Of the 12 fights on the card, six went to decision and six were finished early, though there were true battles regardless of the result, and three were properly rewarded. Read below to see who the big earners were once the UFC Paris payouts and bonuses were distributed.
Performance of the Night – Abus Magomedov and Benoît Saint-Denis
Of the six finishes on the card, those from Abus Magomedov and Benoît Saint-Denis truly took the cake. In the third fight of the evening, the Frenchman “God of War” was in complete control of his contest against Gabriel Miranda. A match between two wrestlers, it was Saint-Denis’ fists that dictated the fight, and it looked momentarily like he might get a first-round finish. Miranda survived the bell, but it had little effect. Just 16 seconds into the second round, Saint-Denis sent Miranda to the ground and it didn’t take long for the official to call the fight.
A perfect night in Paris – fighters representing France went 5-0 at #UFCParis 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/9NAp32d1WF
— UFC (@ufc) September 4, 2022
On the topic of quick results, the fastest finish of the evening belonged to Magomedov who was making his Octagon debut against Dustin Stoltzfus. Moments after touching gloves, Magomedov stunned Stoltzfus with a kick and then really hurt him with a left hook that crumpled his opponent. Pouncing for the finish, the official rushed in to call the fight. For their performances, Magomedov and Saint-Denis were each awarded a $50,000 Performance of the Night prize to their UFC Paris payouts.
Fight of the Night – Ciryl Gane vs Tai Tuivasa
Nothing really hits in contact sports like a heavyweight fight, and the main event between Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa was no exception. A pair of top challengers in the division, both athletes were looking to make a statement. For Tuivasa, he was looking to secure a title opportunity by taking down the top-ranked contender. Gane, on the other hand, not only was fighting to get back into a title match but was looking for the win in front of his countrymen.
The first round was a battle between the brawling Tuivasa and the calculated Gane, and all three officials scored the round for Gane. Looking for a finish, Tuivasa really turned things up in the second round, and Gane returned the favor. After the Australian sent the Frenchman to the mat for the first time in his career, Gane caught Tuivasa with a kick to the stomach that turned the tide of the fight.
Surviving multiple blows that would’ve destroyed other men, Tuivasa lasted until the third round when the damage became just too much, despite fighting to the end. It was truly a phenomenal bout, and well deserving of the Fight of the Night designation it received, and Gane and Tuivasa more than earned the additional $50,000 to their UFC Paris payouts.
UFC Paris Main Card and Preliminaries Payouts
Most UFC events don’t post fighters’ earnings, and UFC Paris is no exception. While we may not know the amount the athletes’ paychecks were, one of the payment pieces we do know, however, is the amount each fighter received from Venum as part of the sponsorship program. Under the Venum sponsorship, the athletes are paid a bonus for their fight on a scaling base, depending on their experience in the Octagon.
John Makdessi and Robert Whittaker were the veterans of the UFC with the most experience at 19 fights each. For their service, they each took home an event-high $16,000 in promotional money from Venum in their UFC payouts. On the other end of the spectrum, seven fighters made their Octagon debuts and earned their first cut from the Venum sponsorship.
UFC Paris Payouts for Venum Sponsorship (based on number of fights in the UFC)
Per the UFC Promotional Guidelines
- $4,000 (1-3 fights): Ailin Perez (debut), Cristiano Quiñonez (debut), Benoît Saint-Denis (3), Gabriel Miranda (debut), Michal Figlak (debut), Abus Magomedov (debut), William Gomis (debut), Jarno Errens (debut), Roman Kopylov (3)
- $4,500 (4-5 fights): Stephanie Egger (5), Farès Ziam (5) Dustin Stoltzfus (5), Nassourdine Imavov (5)
- $6,000 (6-10 fights): Khalid Taha (6), Nasrat Haqparast (10), Charles Jourdain (10), Nathaniel Wood (8), Joaquin Buckley (8), Ciryl Gane (9)
- $11,000 (11-15 fights): Alessio Di Chirico (11), Marvin Vettori (13), Tai Tuivasa (12)
- $16,000 (16-20 fights): John Makdessi (19), Robert Whittaker (19)
- $21,000 (21+ fights): N/A
UFC Paris Results
- Ciryl Gane KO’d Tai Tuivasa – Round 3
- Robert Whittaker defeated Marvin Vettori – Unanimous Decision
- Nassourdine Imavov defeated Joaquin Buckley – Unanimous Decision
- Roman Kopylov TKO’d Alessio Di Chirico – Round 3
- William Gomis defeated Jarno Errens – Majority Decision
- Nathaniel Wood defeated Charles Jourdain – Unanimous Decision
Preliminary Card
- Abus Magomedov TKO’d Dustin Stoltzfus – Round 1
- Nasrat Haqparast defeated John Makdessi – Unanimous Decision
- Farès Ziam defeated Michal Figlak – Unanimous Decision
- Benoit Saînt-Denis TKO’d Gabriel Miranda – Round 2
- Cristian Quiñonez TKO’d Khalid Taha – Round 1
- Stephanie Egger submitted Ailin Perez by rear-naked choke – Round 2
