Bellator 277 salaries – Pitbull & McKee each net $250k

AJ McKee and Patricio Pitbull pose for photos ahead of their Bellator 277 main event battle. | Photo by Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images

With this week’s Bellator card taking place i…


Bellator 277 and 279 press conference
AJ McKee and Patricio Pitbull pose for photos ahead of their Bellator 277 main event battle. | Photo by Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images

With this week’s Bellator card taking place in San Jose, CA, the California State Athletic Commission has released fighter pay information for all the athletes competing at the event.

It’s a rare week where Bellator has stolen a bit of the spotlight from the UFC in terms of event star power. The Showtime based promotion was out in San Jose, CA, this past Friday, April 15th, with a pair of title fights. In the main event, lost his featherweight title to multiple-time former champion Patricio Pitbull, in a rematch of their 2022 contest. While Corey Anderson ended up with a no contest against Vadim Nemkov in what was supposed to be the final leg of the promotion’s light heavyweight Grand Prix.

That Anderson/Nemkov result has to sting especially badly for both men involved, not just for the lack of a win, but the Grand Prix finalist was set to recieve a $1 million bonus for their efforts. Instead, Anderson walked away with $250,000 for the fight, with Vadim Nemkov getting just $80,000 in show money.

AJ McKee and Patricio Freire also topped the reported payouts for the event, grabbing $250,000 each for their efforts in the main event. That’s all according to data released by the California State Athletic Commission.

Check out the full Bellator 277 fighter pay below*:

PATRICIO FREIRE – $250,000 (no win bonus)
AJ MCKEE – $250,000

COREY ANDERSON – $250,000
VADIM NEMKOV – $80,000

AARON PICO – $75,000 (no win bonus)
ADLI EDWARDS – $50,000

LINTON VASSELL – $138,000 ($69,000/$69,000 show & win)
TIM JOHNSON – $75,000

TYSON MILLER – $4,000 ($2,000/$2000 show & win)
RHALEN GRACIE – $5,000

TYRELL FORTUNE – $75,000 (no win bonus)
RAKIM CLEVELAND – $30,000

DOVLETDZHAN YAGSHIMURADOV – $70,000 ($35,000/$35,000 show & win)
RAFAEL CARVALHO – $30,000

ROBERT SERONIO III – $4,000 ($2,000/$2000 show & win)
CALOB RAMIREZ – $2,000

GASTON BOLANOS – $25,000 (no win bonus)
DANIEL CAREY – $12,000

KYLE CRUTCHMER – $50,000 ($25,000/$25,000 show & win)
MICHAEL LOMBARDO – $20,000

EDWIN DE LOS SANTOS – $4,000 ($2,000/$2000 show & win)
ALBERTO MENDEZ – $2,000

ROGELIO LUNA – $4,000 ($2,000/$2000 show & win)
SOCRATES HERNANDEZ – $2,000

LAIRD ANDERSON – $4,000 ($2,000/$2000 show & win)
JT DONALDSON – $2,000

THEO HAIG – $4,000 ($2,000/$2000 show & win)
ALAN BENSON – $2,000

*This information does not include any other undisclosed performance bonuses, locker room bonuses, or sponsor payouts. Nor does it include possible management fees, coaching & training fees, or possible fines levied by the CSAC. This data is purely representative of the contracted fight purses between Bellator and their athletes, as reported to the athletic commission.