Tag: fighter salaries

UFC Fight Night 42 Salaries: Diego Sanchez Steals Six Figures, While Flyweights Continue to Be Undervalued


(Lol I got dis in da bag. Photo via Getty.)

In February of 2006, former UFC fighter Lee Murray orchestrated the now-infamous London Securitas heist and (temporarily) made off with nearly $90 million dollars. It was not only considered the biggest robbery in MMA History, but the largest cash robbery in the history of the UK.

Last weekend at Fight Night 42, Diego Sanchez accomplished a similar, albeit more modest feat, successfully robbing Ross Pearson of a hard-earned decision victory and the UFC of an event-high $140,000. And in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, no less. While the New Mexico Athletic Commission’s involvement in the brilliantly executed heist remains under investigation, Sanchez appears to be in the clear. For now, at least.

Ben Henderson, on the other hand, must have renegotiated his contract at gunpoint. See what we’re talking about after the jump…


(Lol I got dis in da bag. Photo via Getty.)

In February of 2006, former UFC fighter Lee Murray orchestrated the now-infamous London Securitas heist and (temporarily) made off with nearly $90 million dollars. It was not only considered the biggest robbery in MMA History, but the largest cash robbery in the history of the UK.

Last weekend at Fight Night 42, Diego Sanchez accomplished a similar, albeit more modest feat, successfully robbing Ross Pearson of a hard-earned decision victory and the UFC of an event-high $140,000. And in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, no less. While the New Mexico Athletic Commission’s involvement in the brilliantly executed heist remains under investigation, Sanchez appears to be in the clear. For now, at least.

Ben Henderson, on the other hand, must have renegotiated his contract at gunpoint…

Benson Henderson: $90,000 (includes $45,000 win bonus)
Rustam Khabilov: $17,000

Diego Sanchez: $140,000 (includes $70,000 win bonus)
Ross Pearson: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus)

John Dodson: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
John Moraga: $19,000

Rafael dos Anjos: $64,000 (includes $32,000 win bonus)
Jason High: $19,000

Piotr Hallmann: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
Yves Edwards: $24,000

Bryan Caraway: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
Erik Perez: $21,000

Sergio Pettis: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
Yaotzin Meza: $14,000

Lance Benoist: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
Bobby Voelker: $12,000

Scott Jorgensen: $52,000 (includes $26,000 win bonus)
Danny Martinez: $8,000

Jon Tuck: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
Jake Lindsey: $8,000

Patrick Cummins: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
Roger Narvaez: $8,000

Underpaid: Ben Henderson, a former champion who was making six figures just to show in his fights with Gil Melendez and Anthony Pettis, is now making just $45,000 to show. Diego Sanchez, who has dropped two out of his past three fights, never won a title, and hasn’t finished an opponent since 2008, is making $70,000 to show. You feel like taking this one, Kobe?

There it is.

Meanwhile, guys like John Dodson and John Moraga continue to receive peanuts for pay by virtue of being little flyweights that no one cares about alone. Even Bryan Caraway, who despite being a fish-hooking asshole now holds an impressive 4-1 UFC record (with 4 submission wins*), is making chump change. Further muddling the waters of the UFC pay structure is the fact Caraway’s opponent, Erik Perez, is somehow making double the TUF alum’s show rate despite holding the exact same UFC record as Caraway did heading into their fight last weekend. And Dana White wonders why not even the fighters competing on the reality show give a shit anymore.

To end the the exercise in depression that are these salary recaps on a high note, however, you should know that Dana White did in fact give Ross Pearson his win bonus, a.k.a the Cecil People’s “Decision of the Night” award, so perhaps Diego’s robbery was a victimless crime. Ehhhverybody hap-peh!!

*Following Caraway’s win, the UFC displayed a graphic stating that Caraway had tied Urijah Faber for the most submission wins in bantamweight history. At Four. I’m just sayin’, when a number that small is the record to beat, maybe it’s not a stat worth mentioning. 

–J. Jones

UFC 168 Salaries: Silva Banks 600K Severance Package, Rousey Breaks Six Figures


(And he couldn’t be happier, ladies and gentleman! Author’s note: I am so going to hell. Photo via r/MMA)

It might seem disrespectful to discuss something as frivolous as money in these post-Silva-leg-break times, but the salaries for UFC 168 were released earlier today and it is our civic duty to inform you who made out like a bandit and who will be ringing in the New Year with a feast of Ramen noodles and cut up hot dogs (a.k.a “The Danga Delight”).

You’ll be pleased to know that despite shattering his leg to fuck on Saturday, Anderson Silva still made enough money to purchase a nice little villa in the Poconos and enjoy his (probable) retirement. It probably wasn’t the severance package he had in mind, but such is life in the fight game. Meanwhile, Corey Hill is still toiling away in obscurity and predicting when it will rain three days in advance.

The full list of disclosed salaries are after the jump. Per usual, they are absent of any “Of the Night” bonuses, training fees, etc.

Chris Weidman: $400,000 (includes $200,000 win bonus)
def. Anderson Silva: $600,000

Champ Ronda Rousey: $100,000 (includes $50,000 win bonus)
def. Miesha Tate: $28,000


(And he couldn’t be happier, ladies and gentleman! Author’s note: I am so going to hell. Photo via r/MMA)

It might seem disrespectful to discuss something as frivolous as money in these post-Silva-leg-break times, but the salaries for UFC 168 were released earlier today and it is our civic duty to inform you who made out like a bandit and who will be ringing in the New Year with a feast of Ramen noodles and cut up hot dogs (a.k.a “The Danga Delight”).

You’ll be pleased to know that despite shattering his leg to fuck on Saturday, Anderson Silva still made enough money to purchase a nice little villa in the Poconos and enjoy his (probable) retirement. It probably wasn’t the severance package he had in mind, but such is life in the fight game. Meanwhile, Corey Hill is still toiling away in obscurity and predicting when it will rain three days in advance.

The full list of disclosed salaries are after the jump. Per usual, they are absent of any “Of the Night” bonuses, training fees, etc.

Chris Weidman: $400,000 (includes $200,000 win bonus)
def. Anderson Silva: $600,000

Champ Ronda Rousey: $100,000 (includes $50,000 win bonus)
def. Miesha Tate: $28,000

Travis Browne: $56,000 (includes $28,000 win bonus)
def. Josh Barnett: $170,000

Jim Miller: $92,000 (includes $46,000 win bonus)
def. Fabricio Camoes: $8,000

Dustin Poirier: $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus)
def. Diego Brandao: $20,000*

Uriah Hall: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Chris Leben: $51,000

Michael Johnson: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus)
def. Gleison Tibau: $39,000

Dennis Siver: $66,000 (includes $33,000 win bonus)
def. Manny Gamburyan: $25,000

John Howard: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus)
def. Siyar Bahadurzada: $17,000

William Macario: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Bobby Voelker: $12,000

Robert Peralta: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
def. Estevan Payan: $10,000

Rather than stick to our normal Overpaid-Underpaid method of analysis, I’d just like to repeat one thing: Fabricio Camoes made $8,000 to fight on the biggest main card of the year. I can only hope that some of the extra $5 we were all forced to pay for this card made it into his pocket, or we’ll surely be seeing his face pop up on one of those “Save the Children” commercials in the near future. “For only the price of a cup of (Starbucks) coffee a day, you can help a fighter who is being royally screwed over avoid starvation.”

–J. Jones

The TUF 18 Salaries, Or, What the Hell Has Happened to Nate Diaz’s Salary? [UPDATED]


(Oh, *now* we understand why he’s pissed off all the time.)

If the brothers Diaz are known for three things, it’s whooping ass, puffing herb, and saying ridiculously hilarious stuff when a microphone is placed in front of them. Whether they’re discussing the “bitch ass lady sounds” their opponents make in the cage or the merits of throwing in the towel, you’ll never hear a Diaz making some wishy-washy, politically correct statement on behalf of themselves or the UFC, and therein lies their appeal.

Of course, upon glancing over the TUF 18 salaries, one begins to understand why the Diaz brothers are constantly griping over fighter pay. While big bro Nick banked a cool 200k for his post-retirement, pre-re-retirement headlining title fight with Georges St. Pierre at UFC 158, it seems that Nate — who is also a former title challenger, BTW — is barely making more to show than he did in his early post-TUF days (via MMAJunkie):

Nate Diaz: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Gray Maynard: $45,000

Despite hailing from the same season of TUF as Maynard (and actually submitting him in the semifinals), recently fighting for a title, and collecting 4 “Of the Night” bonuses in each of his past 4 wins, Diaz is somehow making 1/3rd as much as Maynard to show. What. the. fucking. fuck.


(Oh, *now* we understand why he’s pissed off all the time.)

If the brothers Diaz are known for three things, it’s whooping ass, puffing herb, and saying ridiculously hilarious stuff when a microphone is placed in front of them. Whether they’re discussing the “bitch ass lady sounds” their opponents make in the cage or the merits of throwing in the towel, you’ll never hear a Diaz making some wishy-washy, politically correct statement on behalf of themselves or the UFC, and therein lies their appeal.

Of course, upon glancing over the TUF 18 salaries, one begins to understand why the Diaz brothers are constantly griping over fighter pay. While big bro Nick banked a cool 200k for his post-retirement, pre-re-retirement headlining title fight with Georges St. Pierre at UFC 158, it seems that Nate — who is also a former title challenger, BTW — is barely making more to show than he did in his early post-TUF days (via MMAJunkie):

Nate Diaz: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Gray Maynard: $45,000

Despite hailing from the same season of TUF as Maynard (and actually submitting him in the semifinals), recently fighting for a title, and collecting 4 “Of the Night” bonuses in each of his past 4 wins, Diaz is somehow making 1/3rd as much as Maynard to show. What. the. fucking. fuck.

It should be noted that Diaz has dropped 2 of his past 3 fights (although his base salary plummeted from $50k/$50k to his current rate prior to his fight with Josh Thomson). It should also be noted that Maynard has dropped 3 of his past 4 fights and has gone 2-3-1 in his past 6, having collected just 1 “Of the Night” bonus in that span.

The rest of the TUF 18 Finale salaries are the standard (also, horrendous) 8k/8k, but what could be the cause of Diaz’s sudden salary drop? His apathy toward his recent matchups? Further fallout from his homophobic tweet? Or was Diaz simply the latest fighter to fall victim to the “Choose Your Salary” wheel that Dana White has hanging in his office next to the photo of the Yakuza member fucking?

We sent an email to Diaz’s manager, Mike Kogan, earlier today that has not yet been returned, but we will keep you updated once we are made aware as to why the white man is so insistent on holding a Diaz down.

Update, 6:30 p.m. ET: Kogan’s e-mailed response to CagePotato is below. We swear, we are not making this up.

Cause I suck as a manager lol

Thank you

Mike

–J. Jones

‘UFC 157? Salaries: Rousey Banks 90K, Hendo Tops $1.17 Million Payroll


(It’s hard to argue that she didn’t earn it, but we’re sure at least a few of you will try your damnedest anyway. / Photo via Getty Images)

The California State Athletic Commission recently released the salary figures for UFC 157, which transpired last Saturday from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Topping the payroll was none other than Dan Henderson, who took home a cool quarter million despite dropping a close decision to Lyoto Machida in the night’s co-main event. Most of the salaries seem relatively fair considering the UFC’s recent cutbacks, but check out the full list after the jump and let us know who you think is “super fucking expensive” and who deserves to be paid a little more.


(It’s hard to argue that she didn’t earn it, but we’re sure at least a few of you will try your damnedest anyway. / Photo via Getty Images)

The California State Athletic Commission recently released the salary figures for UFC 157, which transpired last Saturday from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Topping the payroll was none other than Dan Henderson, who took home a cool quarter million despite dropping a close decision to Lyoto Machida in the night’s co-main event. Most of the salaries seem relatively fair considering the UFC’s recent cutbacks, but check out the full list after the jump and let us know who you think is “super fucking expensive” and who deserves to be paid a little more.

Ronda Rousey: $90,000 (includes $45,000 win bonus)
def. Liz Carmouche: $12,000

Lyoto Machida: $200,000 (no win bonus)
def. Dan Henderson: $250,000

Urijah Faber: $100,000 (includes $50,000 win bonus)
def. Ivan Menjivar: $17,000

Court McGee: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
def. Josh Neer: $16,000

Robbie Lawler: $105,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Josh Koscheck: $78,000

Brendan Schaub: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus)
def. Lavar Johnson: $29,000

Mike Chiesa: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Anton Kuivanen: $8,000

Dennis Bermudez: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Matt Grice: $8,000

Sam Stout: $52,000 (includes $26,000 win bonus)
def. Caros Fodor: $15,000

Kenny Robertson: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Brock Jardine: $8,000

Neil Magny: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Jon Manley: $8,000

Nah-Shon Burrell: $12,500 (includes $7,000 win bonus)
def. Yuri Villefort: $6,550

Per usual, these figures are void of any locker room bonuses, sponsorship fees, and the $50,000 end of the night bonuses that Robbie Lawler, Kenny Robertson, and Dennis Bermudez/Matt Grice received for KOTN, SOTN, and FOTN, respectively. Since Burrell missed weight, a portion of his purse totaling $1500.00 that was awarded to Villefort.

–J. Jones

UFC 156 Salaries: Rashad Evans is Officially Overpaid


(Rashad’s best days as a fighter may be behind him, but the man has mastered the art of walking away from fictional explosions.)

Despite what the title implies (or outright states, whatever), I don’t honestly think that Rashad Evans is making more than he is worth at this point in his UFC career. The man is a TUF winner, a former champion, and a relatively marketable draw who consistently resides in the upper-echelon of the division. That being said, when I came across the salary figures for UFC 156 and noticed that Evans had walked away from his unanimous decision loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira with an event high 300K, that was the first thought that entered my mind. I apologize for deceiving you and will see myself out.

But before I go, I’ll say this: The figures for UFC 156 were pretty standard, with everyone not named Chico Camus and oddly enough Ian McCall clearing five figures. I guess it’s hard to consider “Uncle Creepy” a UFC bust when the poor bastard’s making less than the average TUF alum to fight.

The full list of salaries is after the jump, along with our whimsical analysis, so check them out and let us know what you think in the comments section. Per usual, these numbers are void of any locker room bonuses, PPV cuts, training expenses, licensing fees, etc.


(Rashad’s best days as a fighter may be behind him, but the man has mastered the art of walking away from fictional explosions.)

Despite what the title implies (or outright states, whatever), I don’t honestly think that Rashad Evans is making more than he is worth at this point in his UFC career. The man is a TUF winner, a former champion, and a relatively marketable draw who consistently resides in the upper-echelon of the division. That being said, when I came across the salary figures for UFC 156 and noticed that Evans had walked away from his unanimous decision loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira with an event high 300K, that was the first thought that entered my mind. I apologize for deceiving you and will see myself out.

But before I go, I’ll say this: The figures for UFC 156 were pretty standard, with everyone not named Chico Camus and oddly enough Ian McCall clearing five figures. I guess it’s hard to consider “Uncle Creepy” a UFC bust when the poor bastard’s making less than the average TUF alum to fight.

The full list of salaries is after the jump, along with our whimsical analysis, so check them out and let us know what you think in the comments section. Per usual, these numbers are void of any locker room bonuses, PPV cuts, training expenses, licensing fees, etc.

Jose Aldo: $240,000 ($120,000 purse/$120,000 win bonus)
Frankie Edgar: $120,000

Rashad Evans: $300,000
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: $174,000 ($107,000/$67,000)

Antonio Silva: $70,000 ($70,000 purse/$0 win bonus)
Alistair Overeem: $285,714.29

Demian Maia: $120,000 ($60,000/$60,000)
Jon Fitch: $66,000

Joseph Benavidez: $60,000 ($30,000/$30,000)
Ian McCall: $9,000

Evan Dunham: $46,000 ($23,000/$23,000)
Gleison Tibau: $33,000

Tyron Woodley: $87,000 ($43,500/$43,500)
Jay Hieron: $12,000

Bobby Green: $20,000 ($10,000/$10,000)
Jacob Volkmann: $22,000

Isaac Vallie-Flagg: $20,000 ($10,000/$10,000)
Yves Edwards: $21,000

Dustin Kimura: $16,000 ($8,000/$8,000)
Chico Camus: $8,000

Francisco Rivera: $16,000 ($8,000/$8,000)
Edwin Figueroa: $10,000

Overpaid: Overeem…more like OVER-GREEN, AMIRIGHT?! Seriously though, I’ve got one foot out the door.

I can’t really say that anyone on this list deserves the “overpaid” label (however, the Blackzilians might want to consider lowering their gym fees), although I sure hope Ben Henderson was able to get some of that Frankie Edgar money when he inked a new eight fight deal last month. Dude has been making less than 40K to show until now, and I need to complain about something here to satisfy my blogger-mandated quota. I’d also like to congratulate Tyron Woodley for pulling in damn near 50K to show despite nearly being decapitated in his last fight. Throw in his first exciting finish in over two years and it was a pretty good night for “The Chosen One,” which is apparently his nickname now.

Underpaid: What can I say about Ian McCall that everyone isn’t already thinking? On one hand, “Uncle Creepy” is 0-2-1 since entering the UFC, but at just 9K to show, how much can you really expect from the guy? Hard times, indeed. Speaking of hard times, let’s talk about Jay Hieron. Poor, poor Jay Hieron. “The Thoroughbred” netted just 12K to join the ranks of Tiki Ghosn and Seth Petruzelli on our list of the worst fighters in UFC history. If it’s any consolation prize, he’s probably the best fighter of that particular subcategory. Probably.

–J. Jones

‘Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine’ Salaries: Josh Barnett Makes 250k The Really, Really, Easy Way


(“OK, Josh, now act like this Nandor fellow was somehow able to land a punch on you. We’ll use it for the gag reel.”)

The Oklahoma Athletic Commission recently released the payout figures for Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine, and wouldn’t you know it, Heavyweight Grand Prix runner-up Josh Barnett was able to walk away with nearly a quarter of the total disclosed $1,153,500 payroll for less than three minutes of work. Also of note, Tarec Saffiedine collected approximately $2.50 for each kick he was able to land on Nate Marquardt, yet still wound up a grand shy of, you guessed it, Frank Stallone Nate Marquardt when all was said and done. Speaking of Marquardt, dude somehow didn’t even get a precautionary suspension despite exiting the arena on crutches with a leg that looked like it had stared at the Ark of the Covenant. We were able to secure an exclusive interview with his doctor earlier today, who smugly stated that “Leg kicks certainly do not end lives” before throwing a smoke bomb and disappearing from the room. A strange man indeed.

Anyway, check out the full list of salaries along with our thoughts after the jump. Per usual, these figures are absent of any locker room bonuses, sponsorship bonuses, or invitations to Scott Coker’s BBQ bash this weekend that any of the fighters may have received.

Tarec Saffiedine: $39,000 ($19,500 win bonus)
def. Nate Marquardt: $40,000

Daniel Cormier: $120,000 ($60,000 win bonus)
def. Dion Staring: $8,000


(“OK, Josh, now act like this Nandor fellow was somehow able to land a punch on you. We’ll use it for the gag reel.”)

The Oklahoma Athletic Commission recently released the payout figures for Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine, and wouldn’t you know it, Heavyweight Grand Prix runner-up Josh Barnett was able to walk away with nearly a quarter of the total disclosed $1,153,500 payroll for less than three minutes of work. Also of note, Tarec Saffiedine collected approximately $2.50 for each kick he was able to land on Nate Marquardt, yet still wound up a grand shy of, you guessed it, Frank Stallone Nate Marquardt when all was said and done. Speaking of Marquardt, dude somehow didn’t even get a precautionary suspension despite exiting the arena on crutches with a leg that looked like it had stared at the Ark of the Covenant. We were able to secure an exclusive interview with his doctor earlier today, who smugly stated that “Leg kicks certainly do not end lives” before throwing a smoke bomb and disappearing from the room. A strange man indeed.

Anyway, check out the full list of salaries along with our thoughts after the jump. Per usual, these figures are absent of any locker room bonuses, sponsorship bonuses, or invitations to Scott Coker’s BBQ bash this weekend that any of the fighters may have received.

Tarec Saffiedine: $39,000 ($19,500 win bonus)
def. Nate Marquardt: $40,000

Daniel Cormier: $120,000 ($60,000 win bonus)
def. Dion Staring: $8,000

Josh Barnett: $250,000 (no win bonus)
def. Nandor Guelmino: $12,000

Gegard Mousasi: $175,000 (no win bonus)
def. Mike Kyle: $25,000

Ronaldo Souza: $100,500 ($28,000 win bonus)
def. Ed Herman: $34,000

Ryan Couture: $22,000 ($7,000 win bonus)
def. KJ Noons: $41,000

Tim Kennedy: $80,000 ($25,000 win bonus)
def. Trevor Smith: $8,000

Pat Healy: $42,000 ($15,000 win bonus)
def. Kurt Holobaugh: $9,000

Roger Gracie: $94,000 ($47,000 win bonus)
def. Anthony Smith: $10,000

Adriano Martins: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
def. Jorge Gurgel: $10,000

Estevan Payan: $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus)
def. Michael Bravo: $6,000

Before we get started, we’d like to commend Josh Barnett for battling through an illness that forced him to delay his fight week plans. The man is truly a fighter’s fighter and should be compensated as such. That said, damn. We’re not saying he’s overpaid, we’d just like to know why at a quarter million to show, Strikeforce would be happy throwing Barnett little more than a scary-looking training dummy for his final fight in the promotion. For that kind of money, you’d think they’d at least try and book a fight that didn’t resemble the beginning of a training montage. Seriously, swap Nandor with Sly Stallone and Barnett with Carl Weathers and that fight was basically the scene where Rocky gets dusted by Apollo Creed in a dead sprint on the beach. You know, before Adrian does her typical “What are you afraid of?! Death?! You should be, because HE’LL KILL YA ROCK!” thing and Rocky finds the inner courage to engage in homosexual water-splashing with Apollo or whatever.

Overpaid: According to Keith Kizer, the average MMA judge makes between $200 and $1,000 on a given night, depending on how big the show is, of course. I submit that the judges responsible for scoring the KJ Noons/Ryan Couture fight should not only be forced to turn over that money to the state, but should be ostracized from the MMA community entirely, possibly after a tar-and-feathering ceremony. When I worked at McDonald’s as a teenager, I only took home around $300 a week. I may not have been the perfect employee, but I could always tell the difference between a Filet-o-Fish and a hamburger. Clearly, two of those judges lacked this necessary discriminatory skill, and their ignorance should be eradicated before it infects the state of MMA judging any worse.

Underpaid: You think Strikeforce would have thrown Dion Starling a little more cash for accepting what was pretty much a death sentence on short notice. Looks like the poor bastard will have to continue cutting his own hair in the dark of his long since condemned apartment for the foreseeable future.

–J. Jones