On some level, we respect Ortiz for not breaking kayfabe; most other MMA fighters would have hugged it out with Bonnar afterwards, then told the crowd that all the animosity and harsh words were just to promote the fight. Ugh. But the California State Athletic Commission did not appreciate Ortiz’s realness, and fined him $2,500 for his antics.
That $2,500 hit represents less than 1% of Ortiz’s reported $300,000 salary from the fight, so don’t shed any tears for the Huntington Beach Bad Boy. Bonnar’s reported salary was $100,000, according to figures released by the CSAC. You can see the rest of the Bellator 131 salaries here — though they list Melvin Manhoef and King Mo as making just $10,000 from their fights, so take those numbers with a grain of salt.
On some level, we respect Ortiz for not breaking kayfabe; most other MMA fighters would have hugged it out with Bonnar afterwards, then told the crowd that all the animosity and harsh words were just to promote the fight. Ugh. But the California State Athletic Commission did not appreciate Ortiz’s realness, and fined him $2,500 for his antics.
That $2,500 hit represents less than 1% of Ortiz’s reported $300,000 salary from the fight, so don’t shed any tears for the Huntington Beach Bad Boy. Bonnar’s reported salary was $100,000, according to figures released by the CSAC. You can see the rest of the Bellator 131 salaries here — though they list Melvin Manhoef and King Mo as making just $10,000 from their fights, so take those numbers with a grain of salt.
(Erick Silva trots out everyone’s favorite cat meme prior to his main event scrap with Matt Brown. Photo via Getty)
Last weekend’s Fight Night 40 card “brought the ruckus,” to put it in scientific terms. With 7 (T)KO finishes, 8 underdog victories, and a main event brawl for the ages, the event continued to carry the momentum provided by UFC 172 and ease the worries of MMA fans who might have grown complacent with the UFC’s somewhat underwhelming product in 2014 thus far.
The figures for Fight Night 40, however, are what we’ve come to expect of a Fight Night event; only five guys cleared more than $40,000 (in disclosed salary, at least), and three poor bastards walked away with less than 10k for their troubles. I guess my cries for a $20,000 minimum payout per fight are still going unheard, despite my neighbors incessant noise complaints and threats to cut out my tongue if I don’t stop shouting off my porch.
The full list of salaries, along with our thoughtless and borderline incomprehensible analysis, is after the jump.
(Erick Silva trots out everyone’s favorite cat meme prior to his main event scrap with Matt Brown. Photo via Getty)
Last weekend’s Fight Night 40 card “brought the ruckus,” to put it in scientific terms. With 7 (T)KO finishes, 8 underdog victories, and a main event brawl for the ages, the event continued to carry the momentum provided by UFC 172 and ease the worries of MMA fans who might have grown complacent with the UFC’s somewhat underwhelming product in 2014 thus far.
The figures for Fight Night 40, however, are what we’ve come to expect of a Fight Night event; only five guys cleared more than $40,000 (in disclosed salary, at least), and three poor bastards walked away with less than 10k for their troubles. I guess my cries for a $20,000 minimum payout per fight are still going unheard, despite my neighbors incessant noise complaints and threats to cut out my tongue if I don’t stop shouting off my porch.
The full list of salaries, along with our thoughtless and borderline incomprehensible analysis, is after the jump.
Matt Brown: $182,000 (includes $41,000 win bonus, $50,000 FOTN bonus, and $50,000 POTN bonus) def. Erick Silva: $72,000 (includes $50,000 FOTN bonus) Costas Philippou: $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus) def. Lorenz Larkin: $28,000 Daron Cruickshank: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Erik Koch: $18,000 Neil Magny: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Tim Means: $10,000 Soa Palelei: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus) def. Ruan Potts: $10,000 Chris Cariaso: $42,000 (includes $21,000 win bonus) def. Louis Smolka: $10,000 Ed Herman: $80,000 (includes $40,000 win bonus) def. Rafael Natal: $26,000 Kyoji Horoguchi: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Darrel Montague: $8,000 Zak Cummings: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Yan Cabral: $10,000 Johnny Eduardo: $66,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus, $50,000 POTN bonus) def. Eddie Wineland: $21,000 Nik Lentz: $58,000 (includes $29,000 win bonus) def. Manvel Gamburyan: $25,000 Justin Salas: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Ben Wall: $8,000 Albert Tumenov: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Anthony Lapsley: $8,000
Overpaid: I’m not saying he’s overpaid, I’m just surprised that Ed Herman is making 40k to show at 2-2 1 NC in his past 5 fights. Then again, the man’s been fighting in the UFC since 2006 and was sacrificed to Ronaldo Souza at the final Strikeforce event, so it’d be hard to say he hasn’t earned his payrate.
Underpaid: Daron Cruickshank has quickly become one of the most reliable fighters in the UFC from an excitement perspective, yet he’s gone almost completely uncompensated for it. He’s scored three victories via brutal head kicks and just smoked former #1 contender Erik Koch in the first round, yet a quick gander over his Wiki page reveals not one performance bonus to be found. At just $12,000 to show, let’s pray that “The Detroit Superstar” is earning some sweet locker room bonuses to justify that abysmal payday. Then again, considering a house costs about as much as Casio wrist watch in his hometown, maybe he make that $24,000 stretch a long way.
Related: Johnny Eduardo was suspended 30 days for “unsportsmanlike conduct” following his upset victory over Eddie Wineland, which makes one wonder what the hell a 30 day suspension is even suppose to accomplish in a sport where fighters regularly go 4 months between fights.
(With Felice Herrig in the cast, TUF 20 promises to be riveting entertainment. Jesus Christ. Is this really the life I’ve chosen for myself? / Photo via Esther Lin, Invicta FC)
Financial information has emerged in the wake of promotion president Dana White’s announcement and quite frankly, the women are coming out of the deal on top. During Wednesday’s late edition of Fox Sports Live, it was revealed that fighters will be paid at least $32,000 each prior to stepping foot inside the Octagon. Invicta’s current champ Carla Esparza is the exception, as she will nab a cool $40k herself before ever throwing a punch.
It’s safe to say all the fighters are getting raises, as some were said to be making as little as $1,000 to show and $1,000 to win. Not to mention 10 of the women will grab an $8000/$8000 split (twice) before ever stepping foot inside TUF 20 house…32 Gs to stay healthy and prepare for the show.
Since Rose, Felice, Carla, etc. won’t get a chance to officially compete in the Octagon until late 2014, that’s an awfully humane gesture by the UFC, and we have to give them props for it. As long as nobody gets injured from now until May, the strawweights have all found themselves in an enviable situation.
Oh God. I’ve cursed all of them, haven’t I.
(With Felice Herrig in the cast, TUF 20 promises to be riveting entertainment. Jesus Christ. Is this really the life I’ve chosen for myself? / Photo via Esther Lin, Invicta FC)
Financial information has emerged in the wake of promotion president Dana White’s announcement and quite frankly, the women are coming out of the deal on top. During Wednesday’s late edition of Fox Sports Live, it was revealed that fighters will be paid at least $32,000 each prior to stepping foot inside the Octagon. Invicta’s current champ Carla Esparza is the exception, as she will nab a cool $40k herself before ever throwing a punch.
It’s safe to say all the fighters are getting raises, as some were said to be making as little as $1,000 to show and $1,000 to win. Not to mention 10 of the women will grab an $8000/$8000 split (twice) before ever stepping foot inside TUF 20 house…32 Gs to stay healthy and prepare for the show.
Since Rose, Felice, Carla, etc. won’t get a chance to officially compete in the Octagon until late 2014, that’s an awfully humane gesture by the UFC, and we have to give them props for it. As long as nobody gets injured from now until May, the strawweights have all found themselves in an enviable situation.
(Yeah, it’s basically a teacher’s salary, but putting a smile on Judo Gene‘s face makes it all worthwhile.)
Strikeforce paid out $368,000 in total disclosed salaries to the fighters who competed on Saturday’s Rousey vs. Kaufman card, with Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza eating up over a quarter of the total, the greedy bastard. Actually, Souza’s $94,000 paycheck was odd in that his win bonus was only about 30% of his to-show money, rather than the full 100% that almost everybody else on the Zuffa payroll gets.
The night’s biggest star Ronda Rousey only earned a $40,000 purse — I know, ladies, I know — though it was still enough to put her in second place on the event’s cash-money leaderboard. Check out the full salary list after the jump, and keep in mind that these figures don’t include additional revenue from sponsorships and undisclosed “locker room bonuses,” or deductions for taxes, insurance, and license fees.
Ronda Rousey: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) Sarah Kaufman: $17,000
(Yeah, it’s basically a teacher’s salary, but putting a smile on Judo Gene‘s face makes it all worthwhile.)
Strikeforce paid out $368,000 in total disclosed salaries to the fighters who competed on Saturday’s Rousey vs. Kaufman card, with Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza eating up over a quarter of the total, the greedy bastard. Actually, Souza’s $94,000 paycheck was odd in that his win bonus was only about 30% of his to-show money, rather than the full 100% that almost everybody else on the Zuffa payroll gets.
The night’s biggest star Ronda Rousey only earned a $40,000 purse — I know, ladies, I know — though it was still enough to put her in second place on the event’s cash-money leaderboard. Check out the full salary list after the jump, and keep in mind that these figures don’t include additional revenue from sponsorships and undisclosed “locker room bonuses,” or deductions for taxes, insurance, and license fees.
Ronda Rousey: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) Sarah Kaufman: $17,000
Bobby Green: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) Matt Ricehouse: $5,000
Underpaid: Julie Kedzie. First off, still no Fight of Night bonuses in Strikeforce? (Short answer: No, so stop asking.) The preliminary card war between Kedzie and Tate certainly would have earned one if it was held in the UFC. Instead, Kedzie only walked away with a piddling five grand for a thrilling performance in which she gave Miesha all she could handle before succumbing to an armbar in the third round. At a certain point, doing it for the love of the sport just isn’t enough. On a related note, TJ Cook took one hell of a beating to get paid just $3,000 for a main-card fight.
Overpaid: Nobody, really. In terms of work output, Derek Brunson didn’t do a hell of a lot to earn his five-figure check — though suffering a concussion at the hands of Jacare Souza isn’t what we’d consider an easy day at the office.
(That awkward moment when fireballs fail to shoot out of your hands.)
The UFC paid out $1,513,000 in disclosed salaries and performance bonuses for last Saturday’s UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir card, with Junior Dos Santos, Frank Mir, and Cain Velasquez‘s matching $200,000 checks eating up about 40% of the total. The full salary list is below via MMAJunkie. Keep in mind that these figures don’t include additional revenue from sponsorships, undisclosed “locker room bonuses,” or percentages of the pay-per-view revenue that are in some fighters’ contracts.
Junior Dos Santos: $200,000 (no win bonus)
def. Frank Mir: $200,000
(That awkward moment when fireballs fail to shoot out of your hands.)
The UFC paid out $1,513,000 in disclosed salaries and performance bonuses for last Saturday’s UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir card, with Junior Dos Santos, Frank Mir, and Cain Velasquez‘s matching $200,000 checks eating up about 40% of the total. The full salary list is below via MMAJunkie. Keep in mind that these figures don’t include additional revenue from sponsorships, undisclosed “locker room bonuses,” or percentages of the pay-per-view revenue that are in some fighters’ contracts.
Junior Dos Santos: $200,000 (no win bonus)
def. Frank Mir: $200,000
Mike Brown: $52,000 (includes $26,000 win bonus)
def. Daniel Pineda: $10,000
Underpaid:Jamie Varner, mostly for the fact that his thrilling and completely unexpected K.O. of Edson Barboza was passed over for a knockout bonus. Also, his $10,000 show money was noticeably less than what he used to make in the WEC. You’d think he’d at least get his old salary to step in on short notice against an undefeated killer. Luckily, Varner made the most of his opportunity and will hopefully be able to re-negotiate after another win.
Overpaid:Antonio Silva. Including his last loss to Daniel Cormier in Strikeforce, that’s two fights in a row where Bigfoot has done little more than offer target practice to AKA’s heavyweight roster. What’s the point of being a terrifying behemoth if you can’t use your freakish size to your advantage? And why should Silva’s to-show money be that much higher than UFC veterans like Roy Nelson and Stefan Struve in the first place?
(Success: Getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to do something you’d gladly do for free. Photo via UFC.com)
It wasn’t enough that Michael Bisping scored a mouth-shutting TKO victory over Jason Miller at the TUF 14 Finale, in which he out-struck Mayhem 150-38. Bisping also had the pleasure of earning nearly ten times as much cash as his rival. MMA Junkie released the salary list from Saturday’s TUF 14 Finale, which shows that the Count’s paycheck ate up 49% of the card’s $868,000 payroll (including disclosed bonuses). The numbers are below. According to our sources, Marcus Brimage already spent his sixteen grand on revolting sex acts.
Michael Bisping: $425,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus)
def. Jason “Mayhem” Miller: $45,000
Diego Brandao: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Dennis Bermudez: $8,000
(Success: Getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to do something you’d gladly do for free. Photo via UFC.com)
It wasn’t enough that Michael Bisping scored a mouth-shutting TKO victory over Jason Miller at the TUF 14 Finale, in which he out-struck Mayhem 150-38. Bisping also had the pleasure of earning nearly ten times as much cash as his rival. MMA Junkie released the salary list from Saturday’s TUF 14 Finale, which shows that the Count’s paycheck ate up 49% of the card’s $868,000 payroll (including disclosed bonuses). The numbers are below. According to our sources, Marcus Brimage already spent his sixteen grand on revolting sex acts.
Michael Bisping: $425,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus)
def. Jason “Mayhem” Miller: $45,000
Diego Brandao: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Dennis Bermudez: $8,000
John Dodson: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. T.J. Dillashaw: $8,000
