Jose Aldo set for October 4th fighting return vs. former UFC title challenger
gable on Instagram
As per reports, Gable Steveson still managed to earn a decent payday despite his knockout defeat at UFC 331 last night.
At UFC 331, Gable Steveson's progression in the world of mixed martial arts took a seriously bad hit. He was knocked out cold by Sean Sharaf in the first few seconds of their collision, with all of the previous criticisms of Gable coming back to bite him in a big way.
RELATED: Dana White isn't as harsh on Gable Steveson as others amid disastrous KO loss: “These things happenâ€
Gable Steveson was already facing a tough crowd as a result of his ‘bad guy' status in the MMA community, but the popular opinion was still that he would be able to overcome the adversity and secure yet another victory.
Alas, it didn't quite happen. Despite that, though, Gable Steveson did wind up with a nice payout for his efforts.
Gable Steveson walks away with a nice payday
Joshua Van: $500,000
Alexandre Pantoja: $650,000
Arman Tsarukyan: $350,000
Mauricio Ruffy: $110,000
Patricio Freire: $400,000 ($200,000 to show + $200,000 win)
Doo Ho Choi: $85,000
Sean Sharaf: $60,000 ($30,000 to show + $30,000 win)
Gable Steveson: $160,000
Alonzo Menifield: $310,000 ($155,000 to show + $155,000 win)
Iwo Baraniewski: $50,000
Marlon Vera: $400,000 ($200,000 to show + $200,000 win)
Charles Jourdain: $108,000
Robelis Despaigne: $200,000 ($100,000 to show + $100,000 win)
Tai Tuivasa: $350,000
Michael Aswell: $60,000 ($30,000 to show + $30,000 win)
JooSang Yoo: $12,000
Ryan Gandra: $28,000 ($14,000 to show + $14,000 win)
Ozzy Diaz: $25,000
Edmen Shahbazyan: $250,000 ($125,000 to show + $125,000 win)
Brunno Ferreira: $95,000
Casey O'Neill: $132,000 ($66,000 to show + $66,000 win)
Eduarda Moura: $33,000
Joanderson Brito: $158,000 ($79,000 to show + $79,000 win)
Giga Chikadze: $93,000
Quotes via MMA Junkie
The good news for Sharaf, though, is that the bonuses are going to help him out in a big way, as announced by Dana White after the show.
What is the payday that surprises you the most on this list? Do you believe there needs to be a bigger discussion about fighter pay? Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!
Paulo
Costa recently listed his terms and conditions to fight out his
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.
Costa has one fight left on his current deal and has been accusing
the UFC of stalling his last matchup. “Borrachinha†claims the last
bout on his contract should be a three-rounder, but reiterated that
he's willing to accept a five-rounder if he's compensated
accordingly.
Paulo Costa says UFC can book his final fight, raise his pay or
release him
Costa took to social media to lay out his and the UFC's options for
his last fight. He called out promotional exec Hunter Campbell,
claiming that he's willing to fight any light heavyweight on the
roster in a three-rounder and that he'll gladly accept a five-round
bout if given at least six weeks' notice and additional pay.
“OK, I'm making this public and clear: I have 1 fight left,†Costa
wrote on X. “On my contract, the purse is set for 3 rounds, not 5.
I'm asking for the 3-round fight that was already agreed on
contract. It can be anyone on the UFC LHW roster. I think Hunter
has 3 options now: A) Give me that last 3-round fight (I'll take
any opponent). B) Give me a 5-round fight at LHW against anyone in
6 weeks. I'll take it, BUT raise my purse accordingly. That's the
minimum that's fair, right? C) Release me from my contract now.
Simple and clean. I hope everyone understands. 9-18-26 Las Vegas,
Nevada Sincerely, Paulo Costa.â€
Costa (16-4) is coming off back-to-back finishes against Roman
Kopylov and Azamat
Murzakanov. He previously campaigned for an interim title fight
for UFC
332, but later revealed the promotion wasn't interested.
Ok, I'm making this public and clear: I have 1 fight left. On my contract The purse is set for 3 rounds,
not 5. I'm asking for the 3-round fight that was already agreed on
contract . It can be anyone on the UFC LHW roaster.
I think Hunter has 3 options now: A) Give me that last…
— Paulo
Costa (@BorrachinhaMMA)
September 20, 2026
Gaethje (28-5) recently heaped praise on former foe Ilia
Topuria (17-1). The
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder gave the
former two-division champ a lesson in humility with a brutal
beating at
UFC Freedom 250 at the White House this past June. He believes
“El Matador†will be extremely dangerous on his Octagon return.
Gaethje still considers Topuria one of the UFC's best after
handing him his first loss
Gaethje won the undisputed UFC lightweight title in a huge upset as
Topuria's corner called for a stoppage at the end of the fourth
round. “The Highlight†believes Topuria will dominate his next
opponent as he looks to rebound from his first professional
loss.
While Gaethje and Topuria have exchanged trash talk, the former has
never doubted the latter's skill set. Gaethje still considers
Topuria one of the best fighters in the world and wants to see him
thrive.
“Whoever fights [Topuria] next is gonna be f*cked,†Gaethje said on
the “Double Coverage†podcast. “If he forgets how dangerous this
sport is, how there is a little bit of luck and chance and makes
mistakes, he is not going to be at his best or locked in as he
should be. But outside of that, without those mental mistakes, he
is one of the best in the world. There's no doubt about it.
Everything I say, I'm never talking sh*t about the guy because he
is so good. I want to see him come back. I want to see him thrive;
I want to see him prosper.â€
There are rumblings of a rematch between Topuria and Gaethje being
in the works. However, Arman
Tsarukyan further solidified his status as the No.1 contender
and bolstered his case for a long-overdue title shot with a
first-round knockout win over Mauricio
Ruffy at UFC
331 on Sept. 19.
Julian Fernandez takes home Knockout of the Night in his hometown!
👊#BKB59
#BKB
#BareKnuckle pic.twitter.com/JXuZghNtA4
— BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing (@bkbbareknuckle)
September 20, 2026
Bare Knuckle Boxing made its debut in Mexico on Sept. 19.
BKB 59 went down at Auditorio Municipal in Tijuana, Mexico.
Tijuana's own Julian Fernandez put his super cruiserweight title on
the line against Dan Podmore in the main event.
Julian Fernandez stops Dan Podmore after an early knockdown at
BKB 59
Fernandez survived an early first-round knockdown and returned the
favor later in the round. He took a little over a minute in the
second round to finish Podmore.
Cecy Ulloa took on Andy Nguyen for the super flyweight title in the
co-main event at BKB 59. Ulloa put on a beating on Nguyen for three
rounds, leaving her unable to answer the bell for the fourth.
Here are the complete BKB 59 results:
Julian Fernandez def. Dan Podmore via KO (1:12 of Round 2) Cecy Ulloa def. Andy Nguyen via TKO (2:00 of Round 3) Romario Ovalle vs. Marco Chino Villa ruled a No Contest due to an
accidental headbutt (0:45 of Round 3) Pablo Felipe Anguiano def. Ricardo Ramses Rueda via KO (0:41 of
Round 1) Adrian Gonzalez def. Javier Santiago Valverde via TKO (2:16 of
Round 1) Felipe Abraham Huerta def. Erick Eduardo Soria via TKO (2:32 of
Round 3) Jonathan Duran def. Kevin Millan Sanchez via KO (1:59 of Round
2) Jesus Navarrete via KO (0:17 of Round 1) Ramon Olivas def. Jovani Misael Sanchez via KO (2:29 of Round
1) Sergio Zarate def. Rolando Paredes via Unanimous Decision (49-46,
49-46, 49-46) Jesus Rodriguez def. Ricardo Ibarra via KO (2:18 of Round 1) Norberto Pozos Flores def. Mauricio Anaya by TKO (1:42 of Round 1)