Kevin Holland was the highest earner at UFC 291 with a total of $356,000, however, the majority of fighter purses were not publicly disclosed due to confidentiality clauses permitting fighters to keep their pay private.
Kevin Holland led the list of disclosed payouts for UFC 291, a pay-per-view event held last month in Salt Lake City. However, this doesn’t fully convey the whole tale from this event. According to the Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission, which regulated the fight card, Holland bagged a total sum of $356,000 for his submission of Michael Chiesa in the main card of the pay-per-view at Delta Center.
Nevertheless, much secrecy surrounded the exact figures of the fighters’ purses from the event. The commission cited a confidentiality clause, chosen by certain fighters, which allowed them to hide their exact payouts. The Utah Attorney General’s Office also confirmed that this clause was offered to fighters for UFC 291. This confidential release was allowed one year after the commission revealed full salaries for UFC 278, despite opposition from its executive director, Scott Bowles.
The commission’s response to a public records request revealed that athletes had “valid concerns” regarding pay transparency. They believed that publicly revealing their exact payouts could potentially harm their ability to negotiate compensation or purse figures for future matches. Therefore, the commission viewed these earnings as “trade secrets,” protected by local law.
On that note, the following are some of the few disclosed salaries from UFC 291 that the commission agreed to share. Remember, these figures don’t reflect the complete earnings of a fighter. Other payments such as certain sponsorship incomes, pay-per-view bonuses, or discretionary post-fight bonuses are kept confidential. Bobby Green took home $300,000 for defeating Tony Ferguson, while Kevin Holland earned $356,000 for his victory over Michael Chiesa. Gabriel Bonfim and CJ Vergara bagged $24,000 and $60,000, respectively, in their winning bouts against Trevin Giles and Vinicius Salvador.