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Michael Bisping Puts the £ in Pound-for-Pound After TUF 14 Finale

I agree with colleague Darren Wong’s piece about UFC middleweight and British MMA poster boy Michael Bisping not getting due credit, being overlooked as a top contender at 185 lbs. and being a man posed for a title crack against mainstay champion…

With that said, after the Nevada State Athletic Commission released The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale salaries yesterday, I’ll be damned if “The Count” deserves close to half a million dollars for dismantling Jason “Mayhem” Miller for two out of three rounds in one of the most uneventful main events in recent memory.

Bisping’s base pay—guaranteed money win or lose—against Miller was $275,000, along with a generous $150,000 win bonus for banking an unanimous decision. Luckily for the UFC, their British bad boy rakes in dollar signs, not his native British pound sign, saving the company a marginal amount due to the pound’s stronger trade status in the global market.

Of course, for those of you fans privy to Mr. Bisping’s fight salaries over the last couple of years, you shouldn’t be surprised—the Brit has been banking serious money since UFC 100.

In fact, Bisping has been a perennial top grosser for a good portion of his middleweight venture in the UFC. These last two years have been especially kind to the Brit’s wallet, keeping him far away from any local “dole” queues.

In 2010, only one man made more in the octagon, slightly edging out Bisping by $15,000—a surprising fact considering the fighter in question is UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who is considered a pound-for-pound great by most measures. St-Pierre’s stacks reached the $900,000 mark for that year.

As this current year comes to a close, Bisping’s financial situation remains the same. He continues to be the second highest grossing UFC fighter, taking home roughly $850,000 behind former champ and household name Tito Ortiz, who has cracked the million dollar club thus far.

We have to keep in mind some of these payday totals include fight night bonuses and were noticeably increased due to Bisping’s winning ways. In a sense, he has somewhat controlled his monetary destiny by avoiding losses.

What is even more astounding about all these totals is that none of these include Pay-Per-View percentage shares. Keep that fact in mind throughout the article.

In addition, official payouts were not issued to the public for events held on foreign soil where there is no official athletic commission to maintain the practice.

Let’s rewind back to UFC 100. Legend Dan Henderson unloaded a vicious $150,000 paycheck square on Bisping’s jaw—nothing like six figures to help erase that photo shopped nightmare of a loss.

For the remaining time leading up to present day, the Brit earned a $40,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus on top of his base pay for defeating Dennis Kang at UFC 105 in England (safe to assume his guaranteed pay was around $150,000). He then cashed in around $175,000 for losing a close decision to Wanderlei Silva at UFC 110, and tipped the scale just over $200,000 by beating Dan Miller at UFC 114.

But, the cash really started flowing in during his last three fights: $385,000 (included $60,000 win bonus) against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 120, a staggering $425,000 (included $150,000 win bonus) for each of his fights against Jorge Riviera at UFC 127 and Jason Miller at TUF 14 Finale over the weekend.

If the per fight breakdown and annual accumulative list wasn’t convincing enough, let’s put these numbers into perspective based on how they compare to fellow UFC stars. Here’s a quick rundown of the UFC’s most popular fighters and their base pay from their most recent fights.

This list will either convince you that Bisping is getting paid too much, deserving or not, or he’s actually good enough to be elevated to the UFC’s highest paid level.

BJ Penn: $150,000 (includes $75,000 Fight of the Night bonus), UFC 137

Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez combined: $320,000, UFC on Fox 1

Dan Henderson and Shogun Rua combined: $415,000, UFC 139

Wanderlei Silva: $200,000, UFC 139

Cung Le: $350,000, UFC 139

Urijah Faber: $64,000 (includes $32,000 win bonus), UFC 139

Frankie Edgar: $177,000 (includes $51,000 win bonus and $75,000 Knockout of the Night), UFC 136

Dominick Cruz: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus), UFC Live

Jon Jones: $215,000 (includes $70,000 win bonus and $75,000 Fight of the Night bonus), UFC 135

Rampage Jackson: $325,000 ($75,000 Fight of the Night bonus), UFC 135

Anderson Silva: $200,000, UFC 134

Chris Lytle: $200,000 (includes $35,000 win bonus, $65,000 Fight of the Night bonus and $65,000 Submission of the Night bonus)

Georges St-Pierre: $400,000 (includes $200,000 win bonus), UFC 129

Randy Couture: $250,000, UFC 129

Lyoto Machida: $329,000 (includes $129,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)

As you can see, everybody on that list has mighty large shoes to fill if they disappeared tomorrow. With the exception of Chris Lytle, who has produced 10 fight night bonus worthy performances for the UFC, every man mentioned has a history with wearing UFC gold.

Clearly on the other side of the spectrum, there are guys who fight just as hard and who are arguably as talented as the high rollers, but make only a fraction of a Michael Bisping or Georges St-Pierre’s win bonus.

To Bisping’s credit, he has an impressive record that boasts only three losses (one was a split and the other was a very close decision loss) out of his 15 fights in the octagon. In addition, he’s been the company’s marketing spearhead into the UK’s MMA scene for a while now.

Discrediting Bisping’s career successes and his progression into the top half of his division would be an idiotic oversight.

But unfortunately, we also can’t forget the fact that he has never fought for UFC gold—let alone worn it. Of the elite opponents Bisping has fought, he’s lost. In the other column, he has decision victories over guys like Miller, Akiyama, Chris Leben—a split against Matt Hamill—and impressive TKO finishes over not-so-impressive opponents like Jorge Rivera and Jason Miller.

Possible scheduling difficulties aside, he’s certainly not a work horse who will compete more than three times a year, and he’s only mustered up two fight night bonuses.

Maybe I’m being too critical, but when you consider the level of pay, accomplishments and title implications throughout a career—especially a fighter from the earlier list—you start to wonder why Michael Bisping is cashing in on champion level paydays.

Obviously, it’s hard to dissect a fighter’s intrinsic value beyond the numbers, and maybe Bisping more than compensates his worth to his employer by being incredibly marketable overseas.

Regardless, the UFC seems fine with treating Michael “The I’m Counting My Money” Bisping like royalty. That happens to be the business that is keeps booming, so maybe we should all mind our own.

Follow me on Facebook and on Twitter @joeschafer84

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Two Sheds Review: Humble Working Class Brit Truimphs at UFC’s Ultimate Finale

After several weeks of eliminations, we were at the final stage, and once again my dislike of reality television meant that I hadn’t watched any of it. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy a few good scraps for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s 14th Ultimate Fighter Finale, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday on the FX channel here in Britain.

The show began with bantamweight action as Louis Gaudinot, a guy with awful green hair, went up against Johnny Bedford.

Bedford came into this fight with a huge height and reach advantage, and he used this to great effect, dominating the action throughout.

From the moment the fight started, Bedford took control. It seemed as if Gaudinot just didn’t know what to do as Bedford overwhelmed him, taking him down at will and going to work with the ground and pound.

But try as Bedford might, Gaudinot just wouldn’t give up. As the fight entered its final round, Bedford went in for the kill, connecting with numerous combinations to the body before going for the ground-and-pound, with the referee wisely stepping in when Gaudinot failed to defend himself, giving Bedford the impressive TKO win.

Then, it was up to the lightweight division as Tony Ferguson took on Yves Edwards.

This battle between the veteran and the former Ultimate Fighter proved to be an exciting back and forth affair. Although there were brief trips to the ground, these two engaged in a great striking battle.

Both men gave their all, and both had their moments as they put together some crisp combinations, with both men in trouble a number of times.

By the time the third round began, both fighters looked as fresh as daisies as they kept up their fast pace. As they couldn’t put each other away, it went to the judge’s decision, with Ferguson taking the unanimous decision.

The final of the bantamweight tournament followed as T.J. Dillashaw went up against John Dodson.

This one didn’t make it out of the first round. They began with a couple of exchanges before a big right sent Dillashaw back a few steps.

From there they went back to testing the waters with kicks and combinations, but when Dodson caught his man with a big left, Dillashaw staggered again. Dodson went in for the kill, and a few seconds later the referee stepped in to give Dodson the TKO win and TUF Season 14 bantamweight crown.

The featherweight final saw Diego Brandao taking on Dennis Bermudez.

No testing of the waters for these two. They went all out as soon as the fight began.

Both fighters went all out with their striking and rocked the other early on, and as they traded blows it reminded me of the first ever TUF final.

As the first round entered its final minute, Bermudez connected with a short right that sent Brandao crashing to the mat. Bermudez followed him down, looking for the ground-and-pound finish, and it looked as if the referee could stop the fight at any time as Bermudez continued the assault.

Then it happened. From out of nowhere Brandao went for an arm bar, locked it in and quickly secured the submission win in a matter of seconds, just when he looked as if he was about to go down. An impressive win for the new Ultimate Fight featherweight king.

Filler material in the form of the bantamweight bout between Dustin Pague and John Albert followed.

This quick affair saw both men exchanging blows at the beginning before Albert dropped his man with a big right. Albert followed him to the ground, and after gift wrapping Pague’s right arm he went to work with the ground-and-pound. It wasn’t long before the referee stepped in to give Albert the TKO win.

The main event saw the battle of the coaches as Michael Bisping took on Jason Miller in the middleweight division.

Mayhem looked good early on, coming forward with the first kick and taking the fight to the ground, tying Bisping’s legs up with a leg triangle. But the move to the mount gave Bisping the chance to escape back to his feet.

From there, “The Count” took control with a tremendous display of striking. Miller looked exhausted from the second round onwards and had very little to offer as Bisping teed off on him, bloodying his nose and generally messing up his face.

The end came in the third round. Once again, Bisping took control, and when he went for the ground and pound Miller had no answer to the onslaught, and it wasn’t long before the referee stepped in to give Bisping the TKO win.

In conclusion, if you, like me, don’t like reality television, but you like watching MMA fights you can still enjoy The Ultimate Finale.

The six fights here certainly delivered, and while the two finals made for a great spectacle, the main event was the fight of the night for me as Michael Bisping moved ever closer to a shot at the middleweight title.

So, in all, The Ultimate Finale gets the big thumbs up from this particular writer.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com, as well as my Facebook page at Facebook.com/twoshedsreview.

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TUF 14 Finale: Michael Bisping Says Mayhem "Felt Like a Little Boy at Times"

The feud between the head coaches of this season’s “The Ultimate Fighter” seemed to come to a close after Michael Bisping decimated Jason Miller at the TUF 14 Finale. “Mayhem” even gave the former TUF winner his dues after the fight, so some may …

The feud between the head coaches of this season’s “The Ultimate Fighter” seemed to come to a close after Michael Bisping decimated Jason Miller at the TUF 14 Finale.

“Mayhem” even gave the former TUF winner his dues after the fight, so some may find it a bit surprising that Bisping decided to rub some salt into the wound when giving a post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani.

When we clenched, and things like that, he felt like a little boy at times. I felt so much physically stronger than him.

So you know, I was confident…every time we clenched, I could just throw him off. You know, I was a little surprised with that. I expected him to be a little stronger.

On the other hand, it is tough to argue that Bisping imposed his will on Miller throughout the second and third rounds. And some argue that he looked a full weight class above Mayhem on fight night.

Is Bisping just telling it how it is? Did The Count care to take one last parting shot on his most recent TUF nemesis? Or, is it a combination of the two?

Bisping also discussed what he thought of the fight stoppage, his antics at the weigh-in and when he will return to the Octagon.

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The Ultimate Fighter 14: Is John Dodson Destined for UFC Stardom?

Many readers might be rolling their eyes after viewing the title and with good measure. A lot of the recent winners of The Ultimate Fighter have been less than spectacular, and some have even started exiting the UFC.John Dodson seems to have what…

Many readers might be rolling their eyes after viewing the title and with good measure. A lot of the recent winners of The Ultimate Fighter have been less than spectacular, and some have even started exiting the UFC.

John Dodson seems to have what it takes. He wins fights against bigger men and sometimes with spectacular finishes. He also knows how to talk. One listen to his postfight interview with Ariel Helwani confirms it.

A look at the comments below the video also shows that he has the ability to polarize fans one way or the other.

But it’s one thing to look impressive in a fight against another housemate of a reality show. How he handles fighters whose careers were made in the Octagon because of their records and performance will be something quite different.

There is another factor at play as well.

When fans question whether a fighter will do well in the UFC after being on The Ultimate Fighter, it usually boils down to if fans think they can do well in the division or grow into a fighter who can beat the champ.

In Dodson’s unique case, it involves actually creating a division.

Dodson is a small fighter. In fact he stands just 5’3″. He should be fighting at flyweight, which has a limit of 125 pounds in boxing, but since the UFC doesn’t contain that weight class yet, he fights at bantamweight with the other 135-pounders.

Sooner or later, unless he can achieve what Frankie Edgar has at lightweight, he will meet a bigger fighter who can bully him around the cage and push him around.

Even if he does end up like Edgar, he will constantly deal with exciting wars that abuse his body in a way that will shorten his career. It’s something that Dodson will hopefully avoid having to do, but that comes down to Dana White, the president of the UFC, and how soon he decides to make an eight-weight class.

After all, Dodson was willing to go on reality TV show to gain entrance to the premier MMA organization in the world. It’s not likely that he will step away just to fight in a natural weight class.

Flyweight is where Dodson shines though and given a chance he could again. He just needs a chance to get there.

So will Dodson be a star?

It depends on when his next fight is and if the UFC has changed its structure by then.

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TUF 14 Finale: Is Diego Brandao Destined for UFC Gold?

Diego Brandao is the featherweight winner from Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter. Brandao beat a slew of good fighters to win the title of “Ultimate Fighter,” and did so in impressive fashion.Brandao didn’t let any of his opponents escape the opening f…

Diego Brandao is the featherweight winner from Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter. Brandao beat a slew of good fighters to win the title of “Ultimate Fighter,” and did so in impressive fashion.

Brandao didn’t let any of his opponents escape the opening frame and simply demolished anyone who had the unfortunate pleasure of being locked in the Octagon with him.

We knew Brandao had punching power coming into the finale, what we weren’t privileged to see on the show was his impressive jiu-jitsu game.

Brandao showed a new facet of his game by pulling off what I would call the submission of the year in the UFC.

After rocking opponent Dennis Bermudez, Brandao found himself on the defensive as he was floored by a short right hool from Bermudez.

Brandao struggled to keep Bermudez off him but Bermudez was persistent and stayed on top of him, not letting the Brazilian rest.

In one of the greatest turn of the tides seen in a UFC fight, Brandao went from nearly being finished to nearly snapping Bermudez’s arm in half.

Now that Brandao has the TUF title to his name, he’s likely to see an increase in not only media attention, but also in opponent caliber.

Brandao could find himself “in the mix” sooner rather than later given his talent and the fact UFC president Dana White was so impressed by him throughout the show.

The Brazilian will need to work on his striking if he wants to compete with the upper-echelon of UFC featherweights.

He has the power, but now he needs to refine and harness it into a technical striking game. While he has the one-punch knockout power to turn any opponent’s lights out, he could be so much better by setting his power shots up with crisp combinations.

Controlling his aggression will also be key to his success. The reason he found himself in a position to pull off the armbar like is because he rushed in and got caught.

Against someone of a higher caliber, that one punch could’ve been the end of the night for Brandao, or a better fighter could’ve finished that fight.

But given the amount of potential Brandao has shown, and the fact he has “the mastermind” Greg Jackson as coach and trainer, is there any reason to doubt Jackson’s MMA has another future champion under its roof?

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Will Jason Mayhem Miller Ever Be a Contender?

Last night, Jason Miller came up short. He trained for his fight, walked into the cage and into the fists of Michael Bisping.It is something no fighter ever wants to have happen to them, but it did happen regardless of what he wanted. Now the question …

Last night, Jason Miller came up short. He trained for his fight, walked into the cage and into the fists of Michael Bisping.

It is something no fighter ever wants to have happen to them, but it did happen regardless of what he wanted. Now the question is what will he do afterwards?

Miller is still young at just 30. He has a decent record and just got his first loss in three fights and his only loss in the UFC. Most fighters might be in danger because of that, but Miller has enough of a name and enough good wins on his resume from outside the UFC that he should be fine.

But at 30, he was dominated by one of the top middleweights and though there is no shame in that, it does create a great question.

Where does he go from here?

Miller still has a few good years before his prime peaks. He is also skilled black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, though he does seem to lose to elite practitioners. He even has decent standup.

But if he is failing to even compete in a match with Bisping, it might take some soul-searching to plot his next move. Bisping might be surging ahead right now, but he has proven to be a little above the middle of the pack. He hasn’t proven that he can hang with the best.

And if Bisping can’t prove himself on an elite level, then it darkens Miller’s chances that he can. He probably isn’t going to be cut by the UFC anytime soon considering that he has had a show on MTV and that he seems to be popular with a contingent of MMA fans. Plus, the boost from being a coach on The Ultimate Fighter won’t hurt either.

Those will only keep him afloat in the UFC’s deep waters for so long. If he can’t prove that he can beat top competition, the UFC just might cut him.

It’s easy to argue that Miller is a good fighter.

He is.

He wouldn’t be with the UFC if he wasn’t.

But a contender?

His fight with Bisping seems to prove otherwise.

Maybe MMA’s clown prince will go back to the gym and find something that works. For his sake, he better as most have probably taken him off their radar.

And that could lead to him being taken off TV.

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