When he debuted at UFC 221 against Rob Wilkinson, Israel was on a contract that earned him $50k show money with a win bonus of $50k. This is great for someone debuting in the company. Getting your show and win money separately is a contentious point in combat sports, but it’s tough to negotiate anything else without much leverage. That night in Australia, Adesanya finished Wilkinson in the second round, winning the fight and his win bonus and winning the Performance of The Night bonus, banking him an extra $50k. Along with the money he made from his Reebok sponsorship, Israel made an impressive $153k for his first UFC fight.
For his second fight against Marvin Vettori, Israel’s contract went from $50k/$50k to $53k/$53k. Unfortunately, he didn’t win a bonus that night, meaning he made $106k. His next fight was a main event spot, and just like it did in the fight prior, his show and win money increased by $3k, respectively, now at $56k/$56k. Once again, he won the Performance of The Night, earning him $162k that night.
Skipping forward a few fights, by the time he fought Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 for the interim Middleweight championship in the 2019 Fight of the Year, Israel Adesanya had worked his way up to a $350k flat fee, getting rid of his win bonus. Along with the $50k Fight of the Night bonus, he took home $400k that night. It’s not unlikely that he was given a bonus behind closed doors, as Dana White has often done when fighters compete like he did that night.
Finally, heading into his last fight at UFC 253 with Paulo Costa, Israel was guaranteed a whopping $600k. On top of that, his Reebok sponsorship money is now at the standard level for champions, $40k. Naturally, with his dismantling of the Brazillian, he earned $50k for having the Performance of the Night, totaling to nearly $700k.