Dana White Increases UFC 300 Bonuses to $300k

Late Thursday evening, Dana White announced that instead of normal $50k performance bonus, each performance bonus would be raised to $300k after pressure from BMF-title contenders Max Holloway and Justin Gathje. You can watch the full clip below:

The Boss is adding a little extra to the bonuses on Saturday night ?? #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/TncnLQrPnA

— UFC (@ufc) April 12, 2024

Odds on How Many $300k Bonuses Will Be Paid at UFC300

With probably the most stacked card in UFC history, the likelihood for fighter bonuses was already high. However, after announcing the $300k bonus, we’re expecting to see a night full of great performances and some crazy fights. Here are the odds on how many $300,000 bonuses Dana White will need to pay out at UFC 300.

With 13 fights, there are 26 potential bonuses available. We don’t think that all fighters will qualify for a bonus, but with a card stacked with fighters like Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira, Justin ‘The Highlight’ Gaethje, and Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira, we expect that 10 bonuses will be close to the mark.

The odds have been calculated by the BonusFinder team based on fighters’ past performances, number of bonuses, and the matchups they have for this event. Furthermore, we applied a multiplier for the $300k incentive, which should see many fighters open up more than traditionally. The implied probability was calculated using the BonusFinder Odds Calculator.

Who Will Get a $300,000 Bonus at UFC 300

Here is a full breakdown on how likely each fighter is to receive the $300k bonus at UFC 300. The most likely fighters include most of the main card like Max “Blessed” Holloway and Bo Nickal, and some preliminary card fighters such as Jim “F*cking” Miller and Bobby “King” Green among others.

Justin Gaethje -125 and Max Holloway -110

The BMF title fight between two of the most exciting strikers in the UFC will be one of the main contenders for fight of the night. It’s rare that both fighters in a fight would be favorites for a performance bonus, but this fight promises to be full of violence. Nicknamed “the Highlight” Gathje has been awarded 12 bonuses in the past and is widely known as one the most exciting fighters on the roster.

Holloway might not be as high up on the bonus list as Gaethje, but with performances such as those against Calvin Kattar, Yair Rodriguez, and the Korean Zombie he is one of the most exciting strikers. Given that Holloway’s never been knocked down, this promises to be a full out stand-up war, which should give both fighters a really good chance for the bonus.

Bo Nickal -110 and Cody Brundage +500

The undefeated NCAA champion is making his main card debut, which caused some controversy as he’s fighting later than former UFC-champs Procházka and Figuereido. However, Bo is a problem, and Cody Brundage should not really have a chance in this fight. Our team of experts predicts that Bo will run through Brundage and is more likely than not to get a bonus.

Alex Pereira +115 and Jamalah Hill +125

The UFC betting odds for this fight are quite close, but one thing we’re sure of is that one fighter in this fight will receive a performance bonus. Since the odds are that close, we’re not really comfortable picking a winner, even though like oddsmakers, we give the edge to “Poatan” Pereira. Regardless, this all out stand-up war will see two of the heaviest hitters collide in an absolute spectacle. Bonuses for both are not impossible either, but we feel there is an early knockout here, which should secure the bag for just one fighter.

Zhang Weili +250 and Yan Xiaonan +700

All respect to Zhang, but in the past she’s not been a highlight fighter. Even though she’ll be likely to dominate Yan, it’s unlikely to be a bonus worthy performance. On the other hand, Yan is so far behind in this bout that if she does manage to pull off a win, she might qualify for the bonus. However, it’s just so unlikely that she’ll get it done that getting a bonus is quite out of her reach.

Charles Oliveira +110 and Arman Tsakuryan +110

Charles Oliveira fights are always exciting, no matter what. “Do Bronx” is a big favorite for a bonus tonight too, but we still have to calculate in the power of Tsarukyan. The Armenian’s highlight knockout of Beneil Dariush was stuff of legends and he can do the same to “Do Bronx” too. Regardless, we believe that this is one of those fights that will be an absolute war, and both fighters could qualify for the bonuses quite easily. One fighter will leave the Octagon $300,000 richer that is for sure.

Jiri Procházka -110 and Aleksandar Rakic +300

Jiri Procházka should be a big favorite in this fight, and with his fighting style, he’s more likely to get a bonus than not. However, Rakic is also a dangerous fighter, who’s more than capable of stopping the Czech. Given that he’ll likely need a knockout for that, he has a decent chance of landing a bonus as well.

Deiveson Figuereido +135 – Cody Garbrandt +145

Another figh where at least one of the fighters might get a bonus. In theory, if these guys engage in a grappling match, we could see a bonus for both. “Deus da Guerra” Figereido has got multiple $50k bonuses during his career as has former champ Garbrandt. With the collision of two former champs, this fight promises fireworks as well.

Calvin Kattar +155 and Aljamain Sterling +225

Perhaps not the most exciting fight on the card, but both fighters are more than capable of landing the big bonus. If Kattar manages to outsrike Aljimain, he’s got the better chance. Alijmain on the other hand is not known for an exciting fighting style, but if he manages to completely dominate Kattar in grappling, he might be looking for a bonus performance as well.

Kayla Harrison -110 and Holly Holm +350

If the former two time Judo gold medalist and PFL champion Harrison makes the bantamweight limit comfortably, we can expect her to ragdoll Holm with a performance worthy of a bonus any day. However, if former champion Holm, who has already taken out a former judo champion Ronda Rousey, manages to land a big blow, it’s still possible for her to claim the bonus. It’s an interesting fight where a lot depends on Harrison’s weight cut.

Bobby Green +110 vs Jim Miller +110

Put $300,000 on the line and have Bobby Green and Jim Miller bang it out? Get your popcorn and get ready to enjoy. One of these fighters is going to leave the cage with that $300,000k and it’s highly likely that both are. We expect nothing less than to see these two stand in the middle of the Octagon and bang it out. And whoever gets the mic after the win is going to be asking for that 300k from Dana.

Rest of the Field +400

With many good fighters like Jessica Andrade and Jalin Turner, we might see bonuses from one or two of these fighters. However, these fighters are quite evenly matched and anything can happen, so it’s hard to make a prediction on who would be likely to get the bonus. Furthermore, the $300,000 can get fighters excited to show up with a performance like never before, so there may be plenty of surprises.