(“I got nothin’ to declare except my own f*ckin’ genius.” — Oscar Wilde / Photo via RedditMMA)
The UFC paid out $1,863,000 in disclosed salaries and performance bonuses to the 22 fighters who competed at UFC 162 last weekend, with Anderson Silva‘s $600,000 check eating up nearly a third of the pay-pie. Frankie Edgar landed in second place on the salary list, with his $120,000 win bonus and $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus bringing him to a grand total of $290,000. (And for only three rounds of work, Frankie? Money for nothing, chicks for free.) But as we mentioned in yesterday’s “Superlatives” column, new middleweight champion Chris Weidman‘s check was modest by comparison. But don’t cry for the All-American — now that he has the belt, Weidman will be looking to renegotiate his contract for “Anderson Silva money.” His words, not ours.
The full UFC 162 payout list is below, via MMAJunkie. Keep in mind that the numbers don’t include additional revenue from sponsorships, undisclosed “locker room bonuses,” or cuts of the pay-per-view that some of the UFC’s stars are entitled to.
Chris Weidman: $98,000 (includes $24,000 win bonus, $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
Anderson Silva: $600,000
Frankie Edgar: $290,000 (includes $120,000 win bonus, $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Charles Oliveira: $71,000 (includes $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Tim Kennedy: $90,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus)
Roger Gracie: $50,000
Mark Munoz: $84,000 (includes $42,000 win bonus)
Tim Boetsch: $37,000
Cub Swanson: $108,000 (includes $29,000 win bonus, $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Dennis Siver: $83,000 (includes $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Andrew Craig: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
Chris Leben: $51,000
Norman Parke: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
Kazuki Tokudome: $15,000
Gabriel Gonzaga: $58,000 (includes $29,000 win bonus)
Dave Herman: $23,000
Edson Barboza: $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus)
Rafaello Oliveira: $14,000
Brian Melancon: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
Seth Baczynski: $16,000
Mike Pierce: $56,000 (includes $28,000 win bonus)
David Mitchell: $10,000
Underpaid: Yeah, I know you want me to say Chris Weidman, who only made $24k to show up against the Greatest Of All Time, but I’m going to reserve judgment until I see what he makes in his next fight. Keep in mind that the guy started fighting professionally just three years ago. And disclosed salaries aside, if Weidman gets points on the pay-per-view for a rematch with Anderson Silva, the dude could easily clear seven figures in his next outing. Honestly, none of the salaries were too surprising this time around, although I hope Rafaello Oliveira was well-compensated for losing a leg to Edson Barboza on short notice.
Overpaid: Collectively, the Tim Kennedy vs. Roger Gracie fight cost the UFC $140,000, and I bet Dana White is regretting that he didn’t use that money to remodel his kitchen instead. I’ll call out Gracie’s $50k check specifically — the only reason he’s earning more guaranteed money than crowd-pleasers like Cub Swanson and Gabriel Gonzaga is because of his famous last name, which was dragged through the mud once again on Saturday. One more underwhelming performance, and Gracie will wind up on the cut-list faster than you can say “super [expletive] expensive.”