Renato Moicano lived up to his famous nickname 'money' when he pocketed a bigger wallet than Islam Makhachev on Saturday evening.
The brash Brazilian saved the day when he headlined UFC 311 against pound-for-pound number one contender Arman Tsarukyan with just a day's notice. And while he didn't get the job done, he appears to have been well paid for his efforts.
Moicano was scheduled to face Beneil Dariush on the undercard, but was bumped to the main event when the original top contender was forced out due to back pain. He will now resume his rise to the top of the division after significantly helping the UFC when needed.
Renato Moicano earns $50,000 more than Islam Makhachev at UFC 311
The California State Athletic Commission has released the official starting purses for UFC 311, which took place Saturday night at the Intuit Dome. These purses do not include sponsorships, bonuses beyond the standard win/show deals and any back-end pay-per-view deals.
However, only at the grassroots level, Renato Moicano came out on top financially as a result of saving the main event. He got $250,000, while Islam Makhachev only got $200,000, although the actual figures are likely to be very different.
Indeed, Makhachev was far from the highest paid fighter on the card. Several undercard competitors received more in their base salaries, as did bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili who pocketed $500,000 as a flat rate, as well as a $50,000 performance bonus.
Kevin Holland, who was submitted within one round and is now 1-4 in his last five fights, defeated Makhachev for $50,000. And despite not fighting ranked in the prelims, Grant Dawson also got $212,000 as part of a $106,000/$106,000 winning deal.
Islam Makhachev solidifies pound-for-pound number one spot with UFC 311 win
Despite the finances, which are likely very different from what is reported, Islam Makhachev achieved something money can't buy on Saturday evening. Despite having to settle for another main event, he was unfazed and put on a quick show for the California fans.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
After months of planning to take on the struggling Tsarukyan, he was faced with a very different kind of challenge that night against Moicano. But he hardly seemed bothered as he walked to the octagon and scored a big finish.
He may have been hit by one shot that worried him in the early stages of the fight, but it secured a quick takedown on the first attempt. From there, he managed to lock in a Darce choke and pick up a win that cements him as the lightweight with the most title defenses in UFC history.
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