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UFC Fight Night 88 Salaries: Jeremy Stephens Tops List, Rick Story Follows

The fighter salaries for UFC Fight Night 88 were released on Tuesday and oh did the UFC have to pay a chunk of cash to the top level fighters on this card. Cody Garbrandt earned $48,000 for beating Thomas Almeida, who earned $25,000, in the main event while Jeremy Stephens topped the list with $100,000

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The fighter salaries for UFC Fight Night 88 were released on Tuesday and oh did the UFC have to pay a chunk of cash to the top level fighters on this card.

Cody Garbrandt earned $48,000 for beating Thomas Almeida, who earned $25,000, in the main event while Jeremy Stephens topped the list with $100,000 after defeating Renan Barao, who earned $50,000, in the co-main event.

UFC Fight Night 88 took place on May 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The first two prelims aired at 6 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass while the other four prelims aired at 7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. The main card aired at 9 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

The full payouts include:

Cody Garbrandt: $48,000 (includes $24,000 win bonus) def. Thomas Almeida: $25,000

Jeremy Stephens: $100,000 (includes $50,000 win bonus) def. Renan Barao: $50,000

Rick Story: $76,000 (includes $38,000 win bonus) def. Tarec Saffiedine: $37,000

Chris Camozzi: $72,000 (includes $36,000 win bonus) def. Vitor Miranda: $18,000

Lorenz Larkin: $72,000 (includes $36,000 win bonus) def. Jorge Masvidal: $57,000

Paul Felder: $42,000 (includes $21,000 win bonus) def. Josh Burkman: $48,000

Sara McMann: $50,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus) def. Jessica Eye: $25,000

Abel Trujillo: $52,000 (includes $26,000 win bonus) def. Jordan Rinaldi: $10,000

Jake Collier: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. Alberto Uda: $10,000

Erik Koch: $42,000 (includes $21,000 win bonus) def. Shane Campbell: $15,000

Bryan Caraway: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus) def. Aljamain Sterling: $30,000

Adam Milstead: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Chris De La Rocha: $10,000

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Cody Garbrandt: First Off, I Deserve Some Respect

It’s a vast understatement to say that Cody Garbrandt merely made a big impact on the UFC bantamweight landscape by knocking out Thomas Almeida in the main event of last night’s (Sun., May 29, 2016) UFC Fight Night 88 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Garbrandt not only beat the previously No. 7-ranked

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Garbrandt not only beat the previously No. 7-ranked Almeida, but he dominated him in the first round, needing only 2:53 to end the main event bout with a perfectly-placed and devastating right hook to the jaw. The win ranked as the biggest of his only four-fight UFC career, and he’ll most certainly rise up to a bout with an even higher-ranked opponent next.

With fight-ending power and a stifling lethal boxing offense, Garbrandt will notch his biggest win ever with each victory moving forward, because the word is out and he’ll no doubt crack the bantamweight Top 10 when the rankings debut soon, if not higher. But “No Love” was unranked going into his fight with Almeida, and now that he’s settled that score impressively, he stated he wants his rightful spot on the rankings at the post-fight presser last night (quotes transcribed via MMA Fighting):

“First off, I deserve some respect, that’s going out there, we’re talking about a 21-0 guy who just ran through everybody, and I knocked him out in under three minutes, so let me get at least in the top 10. Let me get these guys that I want to fight, these guys that are high-caliber. The higher the opponent for me, the more that I shine.”

It’s tough to argue with that statement, as Garbrandt clearly rose to meet the test that Almeida presented with his finest performance. Now that he’s on the short list of future title contenders in the suddenly booming bantamweight division, Garbrandt already has a date picked out for his next high-profile opponent, and it’s not surprisingly at UFC 203 this September in his native Ohio:

“UFC 203, Stipe Miocic is defending his belt in Cleveland, Ohio, that’s where I spent a lot of my amateur career and boxing, it’s an hour and 20 minutes from my hometown,” Garbrandt said. “I would like to dance with someone there in the Quicken Loans Arena. Whoever it is, [whoever] the UFC wants to give me, I’m more than ready for them.”

With Miocic recently earning the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 198 to finally bring a championship home to Cleveland, there’s not better a storybook ending than having another one of Ohio’s native sons in compliment him on the main card. Dominick Curz will defend the title against Urijah Faber in the co-main event of next Saturday’s UFC 199, so a quick turnaround from the winner to face Garbrandt is unlikely.

Caraway could be ready to take on his next hyped opponent, however. If he’s not, then a fight against No. 10-ranked former flyweight contender John Dodson, who recently returned to the 135-pound fray and owns a knockout win over Dillashaw, would make for a highly exciting match-up with Garbrandt along the lines of his bout versus Almeida.

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The Unexpected: How UFC Fight Night 88 Shook The 135-Pound Division

As fight fans, we often feel as if we have everything figured out – or if we can confidently predict who’s going to win this fight or who’s going to win that fight, but we are also continuously reminded that anything can happen when two warriors are locked inside of a cage. This was quite

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This was quite evident at last night’s (May 29, 2016) UFC Fight Night 88 card from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card featured a plethora of intriguing fights from top to bottom, but all eyes seemed to be on the suddenly rejuvenated bantamweight division.

The featured Fight Pass preliminary bout as well as the evening’s main event featured pivotal scraps in the 135-pound division, and the masses appeared to be confident in how they would play out. Early on, previously surging prospect and No. 4-ranked contender Aljamain “Funkmaster” Sterling squared off with the ultra-experienced, but under-credited veteran Bryan “Kid Lightning” Caraway.

Sterling had been riding a hot wave as of late, and had begun to grow as a star with his unique fighting style and charismatic personality. Making his first walk to the octagon since signing a new contract with the promotion, many expected the 26-year-old New Yorker to continue his trek towards a title shot.

Later on in the night, the main event played host to a highly intriguing clash between two previously undefeated young rising contenders in Brazilian Thomas Almeida and Cody “No Love” Garbrandt.

Heading into the bout, Almeida packed an impressive 21-0 professional record with 16 finishes, and held the No. 7 spot in the 135-pound rankings. Garbrandt, on the other hand, while looking strong as of late, was unranked and held a perfect record of 8-0.

Needless to say, many predicted that Almeida would continue his brutal streak, and keep his momentum rolling. Once again, however, the fight game proved to be unpredictable – throwing a curveball to the fans and leaving us with a night of unexpected, yet exciting results.

Caraway would end up controlling and out-grappling Sterling in the later rounds of their bout to earn a decisive decision victory. With the victory, “Kid Lightning” derailed Sterling’s momentum and title hopes for now, and possibly launched himself into the title discussion, although it still appears as if he’s received a lack of attention and a lack of credit.

In the main event, it’s safe to say that the underdog stole the show. Garbrandt came out firing and floored Almeida with a devastating right hand in the first round. The Brazilian simply had nothing to offer the American knockout artist. In a night where we had expected a future title contender in Sterling to shine and a young contender in Almeida to continue his rise, we were left with the opposite: a crafty veteran showing us the value of experience, and a young American establishing himself as a true threat.

So where does the 135-pound division go from here? It’s hard to say. Sterling and Almeida will likely bounce back as they both represent young talents.

Should Caraway be awarded the next shot at gold? Could “No Love” shoot up the rankings into title contention after one massive win? Only time will tell, but UFC Fight Night 88 undoubtedly taught us a lot us about the future of the 135-pound fray.

Perhaps we should accept the fact that mixed martial arts is highly unpredictable, although that may very well be what makes this sport as breathtaking as it is.

And at the end of the day, if we, as fight fans, are going to expect anything of the fight game, it should be the unexpected. Last night showed us that more than once.

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UFC Fight Night 88 Reebok Salaries: Prelim Fighter Earns Four Times As Much As Garbrandt

With UFC Fight Night 88 officially in the books, it’s time to find out how much money fighters who competed on Sunday’s fight card earned via UFC’s mandatory Reebok sponsorship deals.

Below are the payouts that the fighters earned strictly from the …

With UFC Fight Night 88 officially in the books, it’s time to find out how much money fighters who competed on Sunday’s fight card earned via UFC’s mandatory Reebok sponsorship deals.

Below are the payouts that the fighters earned strictly from the UFC/Reebok outfitting deal for the fights from Las Vegas, Nevada this past Sunday, May 29, 2016.

Due to the unique nature of the Reebok sponsorship payout system, Erik Koch, who won the opening bout on the FS1 preliminary card, earned four times as much for his victory over Shane Campbell as Cody Garbrandt did for his first-round knockout of undefeated Thomas Almeida in the main event.

With that said, let’s take a look at what each fighter who competed on Sunday’s card earned from their mandatory Reebok sponsorship deals. Figures are courtesy of MMAJunkie.com.

Note: These are not the usual fighter salaries we post after each event, but instead the amount of money fighters earned strictly from the new Reebok sponsorship deal.

UFC Fight Night 88 Main Card:

Cody Garbrandt: $2,500 def. Thomas Almeida: $2,500
Jeremy Stephens: $20,000 def. Renan Barao: $10,000
Rick Story: $15,000 def. Tarec Saffiedine: $10,000
Chris Camozzi: $15,000 def. Vitor Miranda: $2,500
Lorenz Larkin: $10,000 def. Jorge Masvidal: $15,000
Paul Felder: $5,000 def. Josh Burkman: $10,000

UFC Fight Night 88 FS1 Preliminary Card:

Sara McMann: $5,000 def. Jessica Eye: $2,500
Abel Trujillo: $5,000 def. Jordan Rinaldi: $2,500
Jake Collier: $2,500 def. Alberto Uda: $2,500
Erik Koch: $10,000 def. Shane Campbell: $2,500

UFC Fight Night 88 Fight Pass Preliminary Card:

Bryan Caraway: $5,000 def. Aljamain Sterling: $2,500
Adam Milstead: $2,500 def. Chris de la Rocha: $2,500

TOTAL: $162,500

How do Reebok and the UFC decide how much fighters earn through the new Reebok sponsorship deal? How do they reach the figures that will be paid out to the fighters? Click ahead to page two for a full breakdown that explains what it takes to make a certain amount of money through this new, mandatory sponsorship deal between UFC and Reebok.

Bryan Caraway Wants A Title Shot After Win Over Sterling

Bryan Caraway may very well be the most overlooked contender in the suddenly booming UFC bantamweight division. The experienced veteran returned to action in the featured Fight Pass prelim bout at yesterday’s (May 29, 2016) UFC Fight Night 88 in Las Vegas, taking home a split-decision victory over previously surging prospect and highly-ranked contender Aljamain

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Bryan Caraway may very well be the most overlooked contender in the suddenly booming UFC bantamweight division.

The experienced veteran returned to action in the featured Fight Pass prelim bout at yesterday’s (May 29, 2016) UFC Fight Night 88 in Las Vegas, taking home a split-decision victory over previously surging prospect and highly-ranked contender Aljamain Sterling.

The win, which likely should’ve come by way of unanimous decision, should launch “Kid Lightning” into title contention in his opinion:

“I think this puts me in title contention,” he told the assembled media (Via FOX Sports) inside the Mandalay Bay after his victory over Sterling. “The only guy ranked above him (Sterling) is Barao – Barao moved up to ’45, and Dillashaw and Faber. Faber is already fighting for the title. Dillashaw has already fought for the belt and he already has a match lined up with Assuncao, so I think I’m right there in the mix,” he continued.

The bantamweight strap will indeed be defended next weekend (June 4, 2016) in the co-main event of UFC 199 as champion Dominick Cruz squares off with Faber in a highly-anticipated trilogy match.

UFC Fight Night 88 was also headlined by a pivotal 135-pound bout between two previously undefeated rising contenders in Thomas Almeida and Cody “No Love” Garbrandt. Many had expected Almeida to once again get the job done, but “No Love” came out guns blazing and put the Brazilian away in the first round.

While not taking anything away from Garbrandt, Caraway simply feels as if he isn’t quite ready to jump ahead of him in terms of the rankings:

“Garbrandt wasn’t even ranked, before,” he reasoned.

“I’m not saying he isn’t an amazing, amazing fighter, but he wasn’t even ranked so I think for him to leapfrog from not even being ranked to above me would be ludicrous.”

At the end of the day, “Kid Lightning” says that he’s the best available option to meet the winner of UFC 199’s title clash:

“I think I’m the highest-ranked guy, now, that hasn’t fought for the belt.

Thoughts?

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Poll: Does Cody Garbrandt Already Deserve A UFC Title Shot?

Rising bantamweight sensation Cody Garbrandt shocked the MMA world when he knocked out touted prospect Thomas Almeida in the main event of last night’s (Sun., May 29, 2016) UFC Fight Night 88 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although he was unranked coming into the bout, Garbrandt capitalized on his bold predictions

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Although he was unranked coming into the bout, Garbrandt capitalized on his bold predictions and statement that boxing beats Muay Thai everyday, stalking Almeida down effortlessly to rock him with a varied offense of power punches.

The win will certainly vaunt Garbrandt into the Top 10 where he wants to be, but there could be a strong argument made that he already deserves a 135-pound title shot after knocking out the No. 7-ranked competitor so easily. Taking precious little damage last night, it’s highly understandable that “No Love” wants to return at September’s UFC 203 from his home state of Ohio.

Logic may state that he’s in for a high-profile bout with someone like Bryan Caraway (who wants his own title shot after beating previous No. 4 Aljamain Sterling last night).

While that may transpire with the next rightful title shot perhaps going to the winner of July’s match-up between TJ Dillashaw and Raphael Assuncao, do you believe that Garbrandt is already ready to fight for a title?

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