Former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold topped the reported payroll for UFC Fight Night 35, taking home $80,000 for his main event win over Costas Philippou, according to figures released by the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission.
Looking to bounce back from a rough UFC debut, Rockhold made short work of Philippou, knocking out the 34-year-old with a volley of liver kicks midway through the first round. Philippou earned $23,000 in defeat.
Leading the charge for the rest of the card, 16-fight UFC veteran Cole Miller pocketed $56,000 for his second-round submission victory over Sam Sicilia ($10,000), which opened the night’s main card on FOX Sports 1.
Aside from Rockhold and Miller, no other fighter on the card earned a purse above $28,000 other than flyweight contender John Moraga and streaking TUF veteran Brad Tavares. Moraga took home $34,000 for his narrow split decision win over Dustin Ortiz ($10,000), while Tavares pocketed $32,000 for his victory over Lorenz Larkin ($26,000), which pushed the Hawaiian’s UFC record to a sterling 6-1.
UFC Fight Night 35 took place January 15, 2014 at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia. As always, the entire UFC Fight Night 35 payroll can be seen below, although these figures do not represent a fighter’s total earnings, as sponsorship money and discretionary post-fight bonuses are not publicly disclosed.
In addition, Rockhold, Miller, Romero and Brunson earned $50,000 post-fight bonuses for their work.
Main Card (FOX Sports 1)
Luke Rockhold ($40,000 + $40,000 = $80,000) def. Costas Philippou ($23,000)
Brad Tavares ($16,000 + $16,000 = $32,000) def. Lorenz Larkin ($26,000)
T.J. Dillashaw ($14,000 + $14,000 = $28,000) def. Mike Easton ($14,000)
Yoel Romero ($14,000 + $14,000 = $28,000) def. Derek Brunson ($19,000)
John Moraga ($17,000 + $17,000 = $34,000) def. Dustin Ortiz ($10,000)
Cole Miller ($28,000 + $28,000 = $56,000) def. Sam Sicilia ($10,000)
Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1)
Ramsey Nijem ($14,000 + $14,000 = $28,000) def. Justin Edwards ($10,000)
Elias Silverio ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Isaac Vallie-Flagg ($12,000)
Trevor Smith ($8,000 + $8,000 = $16,000) def. Brian Houston ($8,000)
Louis Smolka ($8,000 + $8,000 = $16,000) def. Alptekin Ozkilic ($10,000)
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Vinc Pichel ($8,000 + $8,000 = $16,000) def. Garett Whiteley ($8,000)
Beneil Dariush ($8,000 + $8,000 = $16,000) def. Charlie Brenneman ($10,000)