Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC
It’s good to be the queen.
Amanda Nunes made UFC history when she became the women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion, and last night at UFC 250 she cemented her hold on the 145 pound division by defending the belt for the first time. Not like it was too tough. The UFC threw the very green Felicia Spencer into the cage with “The Lioness” to predictable results: Nunes took a dominating five round decision with all three judges awarding her 50–44 scores (watch the highlights here).
For that performance, Nunes collected a tidy half million dollars … a number that doesn’t include the undisclosed cut of pay-per-view proceeds generally awarded to champions main-eventing a show. Felicia Spencer didn’t do too badly (as far as pay goes) either, making $125,000. Her last paycheck back in February was a paltry $34,000.
Only four other fighters on the UFC 250 card cracked into six figure digits: former champ Cody Garbrandt ($260k), Aljamain Sterling ($152k), Neil Magny ($158k), and … Alex Caceres ($116k)?!? Good for Alex!
Take a look at the full numbers, as provided by the Nevada State Athletic Commission:
- Amanda Nunes: $500,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus) def. Felicia Spencer: $125,000
- Cody Garbrandt: $260,000 (includes $130,000 win bonus) def. Raphael Assuncao: $79,000
- Aljamain Sterling: $152,000 (includes $76,000 win bonus) def. Cory Sandhagen: $80,000
- Neil Magny: $158,000 (includes $79,000 win bonus) def. Anthony Rocco Martin: $48,000
- Sean O’Malley: $80,000 (includes $40,000 win bonus) def. Eddie Wineland: $46,000
- Alex Caceres: $116,000 (includes $58,000 win bonus) def. Chase Hooper: $27,000
- Ian Heinisch: $80,000 (includes $40,000 win bonus) def. Gerald Meerschaert: $33,000
- Cody Stamann: $72,000 (includes $36,000 win bonus) def. Brian Kelleher: $33,000
- Maki Pitolo: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Charles Byrd: $12,000
- Alex Perez: $80,000 (includes $40,000 win bonus) def. Jussier Formiga: $98,000
- Devin Clark: $96,000 (includes $48,000 win bonus) def. Alonzo Menifield: $14,000
- Herbert Burns: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Evan Dunham: $60,000
As mentioned above, these numbers don’t include bonuses, PPV cuts, or a variety of other UFC payouts designed to keep everyone guessing just how much fighters in the UFC make.