Justin Gaethje was the leading earner from this past Saturday’s World Series of Fighting 19 card, pocketing $60,000 for his electric main event win over Luis Palomino, according to information released to MMAFighting.com by the Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission.
Gaethje, an undefeated 26-year-old and WSOF’s reigning lightweight champion, defended his belt with a wild third-round TKO finish after a back and forth brawl with fellow free-swinger Luis Palomino in front of his hometown fans in Phoenix, AZ. Palomino earned $11,000 in the losing effort.
WSOF 19 took place March 28 at the Comerica Theatre. The main card aired live on NBC Sports Network.
Ex-UFC light heavyweight Thiago Silva and opponent Teddy Holder each took home $20,000 purses for their co-main event clash. Serving as a late-replacement for the sick Matt Hamill, Holder stunned Silva on just a few hours’ notice and scored a first-round TKO upset over the polarizing Brazilian. It was Silva’s first fight since his infamous Feb. 2014 run-in with Broward County police.
A complete breakdown of WSOF 19’s salary figures can be seen below, although these figures do not represent a fighter’s total earnings, as sponsorship money is not publicly disclosed.
Main Card (NBC Sports Network)
Justin Gaethje ($30,000 + $30,000 = $60,000) def. Luis Palomino ($11,000)
Teddy Holder ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Thiago Silva ($20,000)
Timur Valiev ($9,000 + $9,000 = $18,000) def. Ed West ($2,500)
Clifford Starks ($6,000 + $6,000 = $12,000) def. Jake Heun ($6,000)
Preliminary Card (NBCSports.com)
Jimmy Spicuzza ($2,000 + $2,000 = $4,000) def. Benny Madrid ($1,250)
Joe Gigliotti ($1,000 + $1,000 = $2,000) def. Brendan Tierney ($1,500)
Andres Ponce ($1,500 + $1,500 = $3,000) def. Juan Archuleta ($750)
Dan Huber ($1,000 + $1,000 = $2,000) def. Israel Aquino ($750)
Matthew Frincu ($750 + $750 = $1,500) def. Eric Regan ($750)
Erik Villalobos ($1,000 + $1,000 = $2,000) def. Joe Madrid ($1,000)