UFC 139 Salaries: Somehow, Cung Le Out-Earns Everybody

Cung Le wife Suzanne fist pose UFC MMA photos
(Dear fist-posing douchebag: You were not supposed to be part of this picture.)

The UFC paid out nearly $2 million in disclosed salaries and bonuses to the fighters who competed at UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson, according to figures released yesterday by the California State Athletic Commission.

Though we don’t know what kind of undisclosed “locker room bonuses” were thrown around after the fights, Cung Le was officially the biggest earner of the night, making over $400,000 for his second-round TKO loss to Wanderlei Silva. Seriously. On paper, that’s almost twice what Shogun took home. Then again, Le’s a local hero in San Jose (which made him particularly valuable for this event) with a movie career to attend to (which puts his time at a premium these days). For the record, Dana White isn’t sure if he’ll be back.

The full list of disclosed UFC 139 payouts is below…

Dan Henderson: $320,000 (includes $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus; no win bonus)
def. Mauricio Rua: $235,000 (includes $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

Cung Le wife Suzanne fist pose UFC MMA photos
(Dear fist-posing douchebag: You were not supposed to be part of this picture.)

The UFC paid out nearly $2 million in disclosed salaries and bonuses to the fighters who competed at UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson, according to figures released yesterday by the California State Athletic Commission.

Though we don’t know what kind of undisclosed “locker room bonuses” were thrown around after the fights, Cung Le was officially the biggest earner of the night, making over $400,000 for his second-round TKO loss to Wanderlei Silva. Seriously. On paper, that’s almost twice what Shogun took home. Then again, Le’s a local hero in San Jose (which made him particularly valuable for this event) with a movie career to attend to (which puts his time at a premium these days). For the record, Dana White isn’t sure if he’ll be back.

The full list of disclosed UFC 139 payouts is below…

Dan Henderson: $320,000 (includes $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus; no win bonus)
def. Mauricio Rua: $235,000 (includes $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

Wanderlei Silva: $270,000 (includes $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus; no win bonus)
def. Cung Le: $420,000 (includes $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

Urijah Faber: $134,000 (includes $32,000 win bonus, $70,000 Submission of the Night bonus)
def. Brian Bowles: $19,000

Martin Kampmann: $58,000 (includes $29,000 win bonus)
def. Rick Story: $19,000

Stephan Bonnar: $68,000 (includes $34,000 win bonus)
def. Kyle Kingsbury: $10,000

Ryan Bader: $48,000 (includes $24,00 win bonus)
def. Jason Brilz: $13,000

Michael McDonald: $84,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus, $70,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
Alex Soto: $6,000

Chris Weidman: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
def. Tom Lawlor: $12,000

Gleison Tibau: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus)
def. Rafael Dos Anjos: $16,000

Miguel Torres: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus)
def. Nick Pace: $4,000

Seth Baczynski: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Matt Brown: $12,000

Danny Castillo: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus)
def. Shamar Bailey: $8,000

Notes

— When Dan Henderson left the UFC in late 2009, he was making $100,000 to show and $150,000 to win. At his new home in Strikeforce, Henderson initially earned a $250,000 flat fee per fight, but for his final appearance against Fedor Emelianenko, that figure skyrocketed to $800,000. Now that he’s back under a Zuffa contract, his salary has fallen back to earth. But again, who knows what the UFC is paying him under the table. Hopefully it’s a lot, because my God does he deserve it.

— Meanwhile, Cung Le’s $350,000 flat rate in the UFC is a major upgrade for him, considering his salaries were actually decreasing in Strikeforce. Le made $200k for beating up Frank Shamrock in March 2008, $150k for his first fight against Scott Smith in 2009, and $100k for the rematch in 2010.