Learn more about UFC 281, which took place on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York, including the main event winner, fight card results, bonus prize winners, and payouts
UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira was staged on November 12 by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. We look at the results and honors from UFC 281, which was broadcast live for viewers all around the world on ESPN+.
UFC 281 Payouts, Salaries, Purse, Alex Pereira vs Israel Adesanya Winner, Full Main Fight Card Results, Bonus Prize Money Winner, Score, Highlights
Your new champions are leaving #UFC281 with the belt & a POTN bonus 🏆💰
[ B2YB @Manscaped ] pic.twitter.com/Qkoo7jg7uG
— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2022
Was it ever in doubt? @DustinPoirier vs @MikeChandlerMMA is your #UFC281 Fight of the Night 👏
[ B2YB @ToyoTires ] pic.twitter.com/OdPgCe0d2h
— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2022
Israel Adesanya reportedly earned $1.79 million from his base salary, pay-per-view shares, and sponsorship agreements. Alex Pereira, who was recently declared the 185-pound champion, received $932k in total from his basic salary, Performance of the Night bonus, pay-per-view shares, and sponsorship agreements. Dustin Poirier made $1.01 million after winning the Fight of the Night prize, while Michael Chandler earned a solid $760,000.
| UFC Fighter | Purses | Win Bonus | Sponsorship | UFC Bonus | PPV Share | Total Payout |
| Israel Adesanya | $1 Million | $42K | $750K | $1.79M | ||
| Alex Pereira | $500K | $100K | $32K | $50K | $300K | $932K |
| Carla Esparza | $350K | $42K | $150K | $542 | ||
| Zhang Weili | $210K | $100K | $32K | $50K | $275K | $667K |
| Dustin Poirier | $500K | $100K | $15K | $50K | $350K | $1.01M |
| Michael Chandler | $500K | $10K | $50K | $200K | $760K | |
| FranKie Edgar | $275K | $20K | $295K | |||
| Chris Gutiérrez | $75K | $75K | $5K | $155K | ||
| Dan HooKer | $210K | $100K | $15K | $325K | ||
| Claudio Puelles | $36K | $5K | $41K | |||
| Brad Riddell | $40K | $5K | $45K | |||
| Renato Moicano | $110K | $100K | $10K | $220K | ||
| DoMinicK Reyes | $200K | $10K | $35K bonus | $245K | ||
| Ryan Spann | $85K | $85K | $5K | $35K fine | $140K | |
| Molly McCann | $75K | $10K | $85K | |||
| Erin Blanchfield | $22K | $22K | $5K | $49K | ||
| Andre PetrosKi | $20K | $20K | $5K | $45K | ||
| Wellington TurMan | $36K | $5K | $41K | |||
| Matt Frevola | $36K | $36K | $5K | $77K | ||
| OttMan Azaitar | $20K | $5K | $25K | |||
| Karolina KowalKiewicz | $50K | $50K | $10K | $110K | ||
| Silvana GóMez Juárez | $20K | $5K | $25K | |||
| Michael Trizano | $22K | $22K | $5K | $9.8K fine | $39.8K | |
| Choi Seung-woo | $26K | $5K | $9.8K bonus | $40.8K | ||
| Julio Arce | $26K | $5K | $31K | |||
| Montel JacKson | $30K | $30K | $5K | $65K | ||
| Carlos Ulberg | $22K | $22K | $5K | $49K | ||
| Nicolae NeguMereanu | $30K | $5K | $35K | |||
UFC 281 Full Fight Card Winner And Results
At UFC 281, Alex Pereira defeated Adesanya thanks to come-from-behind victory on Saturday night in Madison Square Garden to win the middleweight title. Adesanya was in the lead before losing, just like in their two kickboxing matches. With a one-two that put Pereira in serious peril, Adesanya came dangerously close to joining the UFC 281 first-round stoppage total of seven. In the last split second of Round 1, Adesanya fired a stunning shot, but he was unable to take advantage of it.
Pereira successfully recovered in Round 2 and although not particularly exciting, it was a competitive round that most likely favored the challenger. In Round 3, Adesanya secured his first takedown of his 14-fight UFC career and firmly dominated Pereira the rest of the round. At the conclusion of Round 3, Adesanya’s pressure, ground-and-pound, and a stunning axe kick worn down Pereira.
In Round 4, Pereira’s performance was notably sluggish and severely constrained. Adesanya played a solid defence and picked off his opponent in a round that was obviously his. The corner of Pereira begged him to score the knockout in Round 5, knowing that Adesanya most certainly held a 3-1 advantage on the judges’ scorecards. In response to the call, Pereira rushed Adesanya and pummeling him against the fence with hard strikes. Until the referee stepped in, Adesanya desperately dodged and weaved but took huge blows and uppercuts.
Main Event Result: Alex Pereira defeated Israel Adesanya via TKO
| Main Card | |||||
| Weight class | Winner | Loser | Method | Round | Time |
| Middleweight | Alex Pereira | Israel Adesanya (c) | TKO (punches) | 5 | 2:01 |
| Women’s Strawweight | Zhang Weili | Carla Esparza (c) | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 2 | 1:05 |
| Lightweight | Dustin Poirier | Michael Chandler | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 3 | 2:00 |
| Bantamweight | Chris Gutiérrez | Frankie Edgar | KO (knee) | 1 | 2:01 |
| Lightweight | Dan Hooker | Claudio Puelles | TKO (body kick) | 2 | 4:06 |
| Preliminary Card (ESPNews / ESPN+) | |||||
| Lightweight | Renato Moicano | Brad Riddell | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 1 | 3:20 |
| Catchweight (206.6 lb) | Ryan Spann | Dominick Reyes | KO (punches) | 1 | 1:20 |
| Women’s Flyweight | Erin Blanchfield | Molly McCann | Submission (kimura) | 1 | 3:37 |
| Middleweight | Andre Petroski | Wellington Turman | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Early Preliminary Card (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass) | |||||
| Lightweight | Matt Frevola | Ottman Azaitar | KO (punch) | 1 | 2:30 |
| Women’s Strawweight | Karolina Kowalkiewicz | Silvana Gómez Juárez | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Catchweight (147.6 lb) | Michael Trizano | Choi Seung-woo | KO (punches) | 1 | 4:51 |
| Bantamweight | Montel Jackson | Julio Arce | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Light Heavyweight | Carlos Ulberg | Nicolae Negumereanu | KO (punches) | 1 | 3:44 |
UFC 281 Bonus Prizes and Fight of the Night
Three post-fight bonuses, including one for fight of the night, were given out by UFC following the show on Saturday. One of the two awards for “Performance of the Night” given to Alex Pereira, the division’s new middleweight champion. Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler contest was awarded UFC Fight of the Night Award after their thrilling contest.
Fight of the Night Award: Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler
Performance of the Night Award: Alex Pereira and Zhang Weili
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