Alex Pereira will earn a guaranteed $10 million for his fight against Ciryl Gane, making it the largest guaranteed purse in UFC history. Dan Hooker, whose future with the organization had been publicly questioned by Pereira, has signed a new eight-fight contract with the UFC. Dana White expects the White House event to draw viewership comparable to the Super Bowl, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio projected an audience of up to one billion.
Alex Pereira will receive a guaranteed $10 million purse for his upcoming heavyweight clash against Ciryl Gane, a figure that represents the largest guaranteed fighter payment in UFC history. Alongside that announcement, lightweight contender Dan Hooker has signed a new eight-fight contract with the promotion, ending uncertainty over his future with the organization.
Pereira, 38, holds a 13-4 record and is the reigning light heavyweight champion, moving up in weight for this contest. The Brazilian out of Teixeira MMA and Fitness stands six-foot-four with a 79-inch reach and lands 5.16 significant strikes per minute at a 62 percent accuracy rate, making him one of the most efficient strikers on the roster.
Gane, also 36 and also six-foot-four, enters the fight ranked second in the heavyweight division with a 14-2 record. The Frenchman from MMA Factory boasts an 81-inch reach and a striking accuracy figure of 61 percent, landing 5.29 significant strikes per minute — numbers that set up a genuinely technical stand-up matchup between two precise, high-volume fighters.
Hooker's new deal puts to rest questions about his UFC future that Pereira himself had raised publicly. The New Zealander, who trains at City Kickboxing, is ranked fifth at lightweight at age 36 and carries a 24-14 record. He works out of a switch stance, stands six feet tall with a 75-inch reach, and averages 4.82 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy.
Why it matters
- Pereira's $10 million guarantee sets a new financial benchmark for UFC fighters
- A Pereira win would mark a rare simultaneous two-division threat; a Gane victory would make him heavyweight champion
- The event is projected by both UFC leadership and U.S. government officials to draw Super Bowl-level viewership, raising the stakes for everyone on the card
- Hooker's eight-fight deal secures a ranked lightweight's future and keeps the 155-pound division's top ten intact
