UFC 118 Salaries: James ‘Half-a-Milly’ Toney Gets the Last Laugh

(That’s actually ketchup on James’s head. Randy tackled him so quickly that he didn’t even have time to put down the hot dog he was eating. / Photo courtesy of MMAFighting.com)
The UFC paid out $1,608,000 in disclosed salaries and bonuses to the figh…

James Toney Randy Couture UFC 118
(That’s actually ketchup on James’s head. Randy tackled him so quickly that he didn’t even have time to put down the hot dog he was eating. / Photo courtesy of MMAFighting.com)

The UFC paid out $1,608,000 in disclosed salaries and bonuses to the fighters who competed at UFC 118, according to figures released by the Massachusetts State Athletic CommissionJames Toney‘s whopping $500,000 salary led the payroll, putting him well ahead of fellow headliners Randy Couture ($250,000) and BJ Penn ($150,000). For you math aficionados out there, Toney earned over $2,500 per second in his UFC debut, which ended due to submission at the 3:19 mark of round 1. (Now calculate how much money you make per second at your job. Isn’t that hilarious?)

Keep in mind that the figures below don’t include additional compensation from sponsorships, undisclosed "locker room" bonuses, or cuts of the pay-per-view revenue that some UFC stars have in their contracts, which means that Randy Couture could have theoretically ended up with a bigger paycheck than James Toney. You know, if that helps you sleep at night.

Frankie Edgar: $96,000 (includes $48,000 win bonus)
def. B.J. Penn: $150,000

Randy Couture: $250,000
def. James Toney: $500,000

Demian Maia: $68,000
def. Mario Miranda: $8,000

Gray Maynard: $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus)
def. Kenny Florian: $65,000

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At a Crossroads in his Career, BJ Penn says he’s ‘Full Blast, Back Training Again’

(VidProps: BJPenn.com, "The, uh, Home of MMA")
Fear not, those of you who thought you sniffed a subtle hint of finality in BJ Penn’s initial melancholy video statement after his UFC 118 loss to Frankie Edgar. “The Prodigy” s…


(VidProps: BJPenn.com, "The, uh, Home of MMA")

Fear not, those of you who thought you sniffed a subtle hint of finality in BJ Penn’s initial melancholy video statement after his UFC 118 loss to Frankie Edgar. “The Prodigy” says he ain’t done. Sure, it sounded bad when Penn started “thanking the fans for their support over the years” in that first vid – and the depressing elevator music didn’t help, either – but according to Penn’s latest melancholy video statement he wants another fight ASAP and plans on “jumping back in the gym” as early as tomorrow. Or, is it today? Beats me. What time is it in Hawaii, anyway?

“I’ve just been hanging out these last couple of days,” Penn says here. “But I’m going to stick to what I said about being as active as I can … Let me try to contact the UFC (to) get a fight as soon as possible. Luckily, I didn’t get any injuries (against Edgar) … I can still build off my last camp. I didn’t go out, I didn’t party or anything (Ed. Note: I should hope not). So, that’s it. I’m going to jump in the gym tomorrow and go full blast, back training again.”

So that sounds encouraging. Make no mistake though, these are dark times in Hilo.

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Wednesday Morning MMA Link Club

(We know that expression. Looks like somebody needs a James Toney upset to hit their $42,500 parlay bet. Check out more exclusive photos at FightMagazine.com’s UFC 118 photo gallery.)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphe…

Arianny Celeste UFC 118 ring girl
(We know that expression. Looks like somebody needs a James Toney upset to hit their $42,500 parlay bet. Check out more exclusive photos at FightMagazine.com’s UFC 118 photo gallery.)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– After Perfect Performance at UFC 118, More Tests Await Edgar (Versus MMA Beat)

– Kenny Florian Says Dana White Is ‘Dead Wrong’ About Him ‘Choking In Big Fights’ (MMA Convert)

– Wanderlei Silva Recovering, Hoping for February Return vs. Leben or Belfort (MMA Fighting)

– Roger Huerta vs. Eddie Alvarez set for non-title fight at Bellator 33 (Heavy.com/MMA)

– Mark "The Smashing Machine" Kerr now sells cars in Scottsdale, Arizona. (MiddleEasy)

– Fan Opinon: Top 10 Personalities in MMA (LowKick)

– Tito Ortiz and Shaquille O’Neal face off at the UFC Fan Expo in Boston (Watch Kalib Run)

– Brett Rogers to Return Against Ruben "Warpath" Villareal Next Month in Halifax (Five Ounces of Pain)

– If Don Frye Says You Should Watch Shark Fights, You Should (MMA Scraps)

The MMA Hour Live Featuring Nate Marquardt, Kimbo Slice, Frankie Edgar

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On this week’s live edition of The MMA Hour, we will first be joined in studio by Daniel Gracie. The former PRIDE FC and IFL fighter will talk about his MMA comeback and what he has been up to since he last competed in 2006.

We will then be joined by Nate Marquardt, who faces Rousimar Palhares at UFN 22 on Sept. 15.

Matt Mitrione, who is scheduled to face Joey Beltran, will also stop by to talk about that fight and his progression as an MMA fighter.

Kimbo Slice will also stop by to talk about his decision to enter the world of boxing and his MMA future.

Frankie Edgar, who defeated BJ Penn for the second time last Saturday, is also on tap as a late addition to the show.

Finally, we will recap UFC 118 with our own Mike Chiappetta and, of course, take your calls.

Download this show and previous episodes of The MMA Hour on iTunes here.

Filed under: , , ,

On this week’s live edition of The MMA Hour, we will first be joined in studio by Daniel Gracie. The former PRIDE FC and IFL fighter will talk about his MMA comeback and what he has been up to since he last competed in 2006.

We will then be joined by Nate Marquardt, who faces Rousimar Palhares at UFN 22 on Sept. 15.

Matt Mitrione, who is scheduled to face Joey Beltran, will also stop by to talk about that fight and his progression as an MMA fighter.

Kimbo Slice will also stop by to talk about his decision to enter the world of boxing and his MMA future.

Frankie Edgar, who defeated BJ Penn for the second time last Saturday, is also on tap as a late addition to the show.

Finally, we will recap UFC 118 with our own Mike Chiappetta and, of course, take your calls.

Download this show and previous episodes of The MMA Hour on iTunes here.

WWE Wrestler John Cena is Not a UFC Fan and is Also an Idiot

(Word Life? Nevermind. Cena is brilliant. He can communicate without the use of verbs, adjectives or pronouns.)
Before all the Pro Wrestling fanatics jump all over me for the title of this post, read the quote below, then take a deep breath and think a…


(Word Life? Nevermind. Cena is brilliant. He can communicate without the use of verbs, adjectives or pronouns.)

Before all the Pro Wrestling fanatics jump all over me for the title of this post, read the quote below, then take a deep breath and think about things in perspective.

Cena, who is a native of Newbury, Massachusetts, was asked about what he thought about the UFC coming to Boston last weekend, likely by an oblivious reporter ,who, like many mainstream scribes, think that MMA and WWE are just variations of the same acronym. Why else would you ask a wrestler to talk about a sport that has as much to do with his profession as hunting does to being a butcher? 

Here’s Cena’s well thought out reply which likely earned him a bonus from Vince McMahon:

"It’s just not something that particularly interests me," Cena told The Boston Globe ahead of UFC 118. "UFC is where boxing was years ago, and I was never really into boxing, either."
In town for last night’s WWE "Monday Night Raw" at the TD Garden, Cena said he prefers professional wrestling because it’s "regulated entertainment that’s safe for anyone to enjoy." And UFC? "It is what it is," he said. "It can be pretty over the top, and it’s not something I’d want my children to watch."

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B.J. Penn Can Make a Comeback, but Does He Want To?

Filed under: UFCI don’t know what’s more troubling about B.J. Penn’s most recent loss — the fact that he posted a video to his website that sounded oddly like a precursor to a farewell the day after his defeat at UFC 118, or the fact that he hasn’t be…

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I don’t know what’s more troubling about B.J. Penn‘s most recent loss — the fact that he posted a video to his website that sounded oddly like a precursor to a farewell the day after his defeat at UFC 118, or the fact that he hasn’t been able to get too fired up about either of his losses to Frankie Edgar.

If it were anybody else, a little post-fight melancholy would be perfectly understandable. You lose your belt via narrow decision, then lose the immediate rematch by getting shut out five rounds to none, you’re bound to be a little bummed.

But this is B.J. Penn we’re talking about. He’s been known to dabble in a conspiracy theory or two after a defeat, or turn his ire on the next unfortunate soul to get in the cage with him. He’s the guy who Dana White once said would show up to your house every morning looking to fight if you somehow owned a win over him.

Now he gets beaten up and pushed around by a smaller, quicker fighter, and he can’t even work up enough fire in the belly to demand a completely unreasonable third fight. What gives?