At the close of Thursday’s Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford press conference in Las Vegas, UFC CEO Dana White revealed a unique twist for the undercard fighters one that echoes the UFC’s bonus system but with a lucrative upgrade courtesy of Saudi advisor Turki Al-Sheikh. Speaking later on The Stephen A. Smith Show on SiriusXM, White explained that fighters outside of the main event will now be eligible for two special awards: Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night, each worth $100,000.
“The opportunity wasn’t there during the press conference, so I’ll announce it here,” White said. “On the undercard fights Canelo and Crawford are going to do just fine on Saturday, they’re going to be OK but on the undercard fights we’re going to have a Performance of the Night and a Fight of the Night. $100,000 each for the fighters on the undercard from Turki Al-Sheikh.”
Big Money on the Line
The incentive means undercard fighters could potentially walk away with $200,000 if they manage to capture both awards a figure that dwarfs typical UFC bonuses, which have sat at $50,000 for over a decade. By injecting more prize money into the card, Al-Sheikh and White hope to inspire the fighters to deliver standout performances, adding another layer of excitement to an already historic fight week in Las Vegas.
The announcement also raises questions about whether this is a one-off move or a sign of changes to come for UFC fighters. White admitted that the standard $50,000 UFC bonus is likely to increase when the promotion’s new broadcast deal with Paramount valued at $7.7 billion over seven years begins in 2026. For now, the boxing undercard of Alvarez–Crawford will benefit first. With history already at stake in the main event, the extra $100,000 incentives ensure that every fight on Saturday’s card has even more on the line.
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
