(Rear-naked chokes exist in a surplus in some markets, causing their value to be diluted, but their rarity at UFC 130 inflated their value to $70,000 apiece. See, I told you economics could be fun! Photo courtesy of Heavy.com.)
The UFC paid out $1,211,000 in disclosed salaries and bonuses to the fighters at UFC 130, according to new figures released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The most highest paid fighters were headliner Quinton Jackson — whose salary was a flat $250,000 — and Frank Mir, who doubled his $125,000 to-show pay by defeating Roy Nelson. Three other fighters were able to crack the six-figure mark thanks to their $70,000 performance bonuses. The full UFC 130 payout list is below; keep in mind that the figures don’t include deductions for taxes, insurance, and license fees, or additional revenue from sponsorships and undisclosed discretionary bonuses.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson: $250,000 (no win bonus)
def. Matt Hamill: $32,000
Frank Mir: $250,000 (includes $125,000 win bonus)
def. Roy Nelson: $15,000
Travis Browne: $86,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus, $70,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Stefan Struve: $21,000
Rick Story: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus)
def. Thiago Alves: $33,000
Brian Stann: $116,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus, $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
def. Jorge Santiago: $106,000 (includes $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Demetrious Johnson: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
def. Miguel Torres: $30,000
Tim Boetsch: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus)
def. Kendall Grove: $28,000
Gleison Tibau: $120,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus, $70,000 Submission of the Night Bonus)
def. Rafaello Oliveira: $10,000
Michael McDonald: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
def. Chris Cariaso: $4,000
Renan Barao: $10,000 (includes $5,000 win bonus)
def. Cole Escovedo: $6,000
Underpaid: Every fighter who came from the WEC who’s still making $6,000 or less to-show in the UFC, specifically Demetrious Johnson and that guy who’s undefeated in his last 27 fights.
Overpaid: Rampage Jackson, who seemed more interested in assaulting members of the MMA media over the last week than putting away the outmatched Matt Hamill. Also, Jorge Santiago fell way short of his hype, but still went home handsomely paid thanks to a generous base salary and an even more generous Fight of the Night bonus.