Life isn’t too bad when you’re champion. Ronda Rousey took home a reported $130,000 in salary earnings for her astounding 14-second UFC bantamweight title defense over Cat Zingano at UFC 184 on Saturday night, according to information released by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).
Headlining her third UFC pay-per-view against a fighter many assumed to be the toughest test of her career, Rousey put on a dazzling, record-breaking performance, submitting Zingano with an inverted armlock in the fastest title fight in UFC history. When including her $50,000 fight night bonus, Rousey pocketed a reported $12,857 per second for her win.
Zingano earned $100,000 in the losing effort, which marked the first defeat of her entire professional career.
Aside from the two headliners, only one other fighter on the card cleared a reported six-figure payday. Perennial welterweight contender Jake Ellenberger pocketed $136,000 for his slump-busting submission win over Josh Koscheck, which aired live on UFC 184’s pay-per-view. The win proved to be vital, snapping a career-worst three-fight losing streak for Ellenberger.
UFC 184 took place Feb. 28 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
In addition to the reported salaries, Ellenberger joined Rousey in earning an additional $50,000 in fight night bonuses, as did main card opener Tony Ferguson and undercard winner Tim Means.
Notably, former world champion boxer Holly Holm pulled in $50,000 for her victorious UFC debut against Raquel Pennington, a sum more than three times larger than the usual $8,000/$8,000 Zuffa entry salary.
A complete list of the UFC 184 salaries, according to the CSAC, can be seen below. As always, these figures do not represent a fighter’s total earnings, as sponsorship money, pay-per-view income, and discretionary post-fight bonuses are not publicly disclosed.
Main Card (Pay-per-view)
Ronda Rousey ($65,000 + $65,000 = $130,000) def. Cat Zingano ($100,000)
Holly Holm ($25,000 + $25,000 = $50,000) def. Raquel Pennington ($10,000)
Jake Ellenberger ($68,000 + $68,000 = $136,000) def. Josh Koscheck ($78,000)
Alan Jouban ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Richard Walsh ($8,000)
Tony Ferguson ($24,000 + $24,000 = $48,000) def. Gleison Tibau ($50,000)
Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1)
Roan Carneiro ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) def. Mark Munoz ($47,000)
Roman Salazar ($8,000) vs. Norifumi Yamamoto ($15,000) ruled a no contest
Tim Means ($17,000 + $17,000 = $34,000) def. Dhiego Lima ($10,000)
Derrick Lewis ($15,000 + $15,000 = $30,000) def. Ruan Potts ($10,000)
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Valmir Lazaro ($8,000 + $8,000 = $16,000) def. James Krause ($15,000)
Masio Fullen ($8,000 + $8,000 = $16,000) def. Alexander Torres ($8,000)