Tag: ufc salaries

UFC 155 Salaries: Junior Dos Santos Makes $400,000 the Hard Way


(This guy knows what I’m talking about. / Props: Reddit)

The UFC paid out $1,521,000 in reported salaries and performance bonuses to the fighters at UFC 155, according to figures released today by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Leading the payroll was former UFC heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos, who made a hefty $400,000 for his five-round death-march against Cain Velasquez. Velasquez landed in second place with half that total. The only other fighter who was able to crack six figures was Jim Miller, and that’s only when you factor in the $65,000 Fight of the Night bonus he earned for his three-round thriller against Joe Lauzon.

The full UFC 155 salary list is below, via MMAJunkie. Keep in mind that the numbers don’t include additional revenue from sponsorships, undisclosed “locker room bonuses,” or percentages of the pay-per-view that some of the UFC’s stars are privy to, nor do they include deductions for taxes, insurance, or licensing fees.

Cain Velasquez: $200,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus)
def. Junior Dos Santos: $400,000

Jim Miller: $147,000 (includes $41,000 win bonus, $65,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
def. Joe Lauzon: $92,000 (includes $65,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

Constantinos Philippou: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus)
def. Tim Boetsch: $37,000


(This guy knows what I’m talking about. / Props: Reddit)

The UFC paid out $1,521,000 in reported salaries and performance bonuses to the fighters at UFC 155, according to figures released today by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Leading the payroll was former UFC heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos, who made a hefty $400,000 for his five-round death-march against Cain Velasquez. Velasquez landed in second place with half that total. The only other fighter who was able to crack six figures was Jim Miller, and that’s only when you factor in the $65,000 Fight of the Night bonus he earned for his three-round thriller against Joe Lauzon.

The full UFC 155 salary list is below, via MMAJunkie. Keep in mind that the numbers don’t include additional revenue from sponsorships, undisclosed “locker room bonuses,” or percentages of the pay-per-view that some of the UFC’s stars are privy to, nor do they include deductions for taxes, insurance, or licensing fees.

Cain Velasquez: $200,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus)
def. Junior Dos Santos: $400,000

Jim Miller: $147,000 (includes $41,000 win bonus, $65,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
def. Joe Lauzon: $92,000 (includes $65,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

Constantinos Philippou: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus)
def. Tim Boetsch: $37,000

Yushin Okami: $84,000 (includes $42,000 win bonus)
def. Alan Belcher: $37,000

Derek Brunson: $30,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus)
def. Chris Leben: $51,000

Eddie Wineland: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Brad Pickett: $17,000

Erik Perez: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Bryon Bloodworth: $6,000

Jamie Varner: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
def. Melvin Guillard: $42,000

Myles Jury: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Michael Johnson: $14,000

Todd Duffee: $81,000 ($8,000 win bonus, $65,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Phil De Fries: $14,000

Max Holloway: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
def. Leonard Garcia: $20,000

John Moraga: $87,000 (includes $11,000 win bonus, $65,000 Submission of the Night bonus)
def. Chris Cariaso: $12,000

Underpaid: Jamie Varner. Considering the level of competition the UFC has been throwing at this guy since his return this year — and his tremendous performances in those fights — Varner is a hell of a bargain at just $12,000 to-show. That’s great for the UFC, and not so great for Varner, who finds himself taking home half as much money as Melvin Guillard, who he beat.

Overpaid: After everything that Chris Leben has put the UFC through, does he really need to be paid more in guaranteed money than guys like Joe Lauzon and Jim Miller — who show up in shape for every fight, regularly put on bonus-worthy scraps, and never find themselves in embarrassing steroid/painkiller/DUI scandals? I like Leben too, but $51,000 just to be there? What exactly is he being rewarded for?

Friday Link Dump: Rockhold vs. Kennedy Breakdown, UFC on FUEL Salaries, Korean Zombie Out for Surgery + More

(Our bros at MMA: Inside the Cage were on the scene for UFC 148, interviewing everyone from Jon Jones to Pete Rose to Jim Norton, and re-igniting the feud between Eddie Bravo and Royler Gracie. Could the Beard’s days really be numbered?)

Strikeforce Main Event Breakdown: Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Kennedy (MMAFighting)

Full Fighter Salaries for ‘UFC on FUEL: Munoz vs. Weidman’ Fight Card (BleacherReport/MMA)

UFC 149 Interview: Urijah Faber Discusses Headlining Fight With Renan Barao (HeavyMMA)

Paul Daley vs. Rudy Bears Welterweight Showdown Completes Bellator 72 Bill (Sherdog)

Sly Stallone Gives Randy Couture His Props at ComicCon [VIDEO] (TitoCouture)

Shoulder Surgery, Not Jose Aldo, On The Horizon For ‘The Korean Zombie’ (Fightline)

This Is What Arianny Thinks About You. Deal With It. (Facebook.com/CagePotato)

25 Spectacular Sunsets at Baseball Stadiums (EgoTV)

Comparing Jordan’s Dream Team To Kobe’s Dream Team (TurdFergusonBlog)

6 Signs She’s Interested You Might Miss (MadeMan)

The Greatest Moments in Celebrity Cosplay History (WorldWideInterweb)

An Important Discussion About the ‘NBA Superstars’ Videos (WithLeather)

The 25 Biggest Hip-Hop Fails of 2012 (So Far) (Complex)

The World’s Best Airport Gyms (MensFitness)


(Our bros at MMA: Inside the Cage were on the scene for UFC 148, interviewing everyone from Jon Jones to Pete Rose to Jim Norton, and re-igniting the feud between Eddie Bravo and Royler Gracie. Could the Beard’s days really be numbered?)

Strikeforce Main Event Breakdown: Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Kennedy (MMAFighting)

Full Fighter Salaries for ‘UFC on FUEL: Munoz vs. Weidman’ Fight Card (BleacherReport/MMA)

UFC 149 Interview: Urijah Faber Discusses Headlining Fight With Renan Barao (HeavyMMA)

Paul Daley vs. Rudy Bears Welterweight Showdown Completes Bellator 72 Bill (Sherdog)

Sly Stallone Gives Randy Couture His Props at ComicCon [VIDEO] (TitoCouture)

Shoulder Surgery, Not Jose Aldo, On The Horizon For ‘The Korean Zombie’ (Fightline)

This Is What Arianny Thinks About You. Deal With It. (Facebook.com/CagePotato)

25 Spectacular Sunsets at Baseball Stadiums (EgoTV)

Comparing Jordan’s Dream Team To Kobe’s Dream Team (TurdFergusonBlog)

6 Signs She’s Interested You Might Miss (MadeMan)

The Greatest Moments in Celebrity Cosplay History (WorldWideInterweb)

An Important Discussion About the ‘NBA Superstars’ Videos (WithLeather)

The 25 Biggest Hip-Hop Fails of 2012 (So Far) (Complex)

The World’s Best Airport Gyms (MensFitness)

UFC 148 Salaries: FoGriff Out-Earns Anderson Silva with a $275K Payday

Anderson Silva Forrest Griffin UFC 101
(He may not have invited him to the BBQ afterward, but Anderson was going to make sure that Griffin squealed like a pig one way or another.)

The salaries for UFC 148’s twenty-two fighters were released earlier today, and it appears that Chael Sonnen earned exactly one dollar for every insult he aimed at the people of Brazil, which is 50% higher than the UFC’s current average compensatory rate for drawing the ire of an entire nation, a.k.a the Josh Koscheck clause, so a tip of the hat is in order for The Orgeonian in that regard. It will surely by him all of the medium rare steak sandwiches he could ever hope to have.

In other news, despite getting rocked on more than one occasion in his fight with the now retired Tito Ortiz and sprinting out of the cage like he was reliving his fight with Anderson Silva before the decision was even read, Forrest Griffin managed to walk away with the W and a cool $275,000 to boot. Actually, when you add in his $75,000 FOTN bonus, the total comes to…a much higher number. It would be impossible for us to crunch those kinds of numbers and still get this article together in just 8 hours, so take it for what it is and shut up.

The full list of salaries, along with our thoughts (read:complaints), is after the jump.

Anderson Silva Forrest Griffin UFC 101
(He may not have invited him to the BBQ afterward, but Anderson was going to make sure that Griffin squealed like a pig one way or another.)

The salaries for UFC 148′s twenty-two fighters were released earlier today, and it appears that Chael Sonnen earned exactly one dollar for every insult he aimed at the people of Brazil, which is 50% higher than the UFC’s current average compensatory rate for drawing the ire of an entire nation, a.k.a the Josh Koscheck clause, so a tip of the hat is in order for The Orgeonian in that regard. It will surely by him all of the medium rare steak sandwiches he could ever hope to have.

In other news, despite getting rocked on more than one occasion in his fight with the now retired Tito Ortiz and sprinting out of the cage like he was reliving his fight with Anderson Silva before the decision was even read, Forrest Griffin managed to walk away with the W and a cool $275,000 to boot. Actually, when you add in his $75,000 FOTN bonus, the total comes to…a much higher number. It would be impossible for us to crunch those kinds of numbers and still get this article together in just 8 hours, so take it for what it is and shut up.

Anderson Silva: $200,000 (no win bonus)
Chael Sonnen: $50,000

Forrest Griffin: $275,000 ($125,000 to show, $150,000 to win)
Tito Ortiz: $250,000

Cung Le: $150,000 (No win bonus)
Patrick Cote: $21,000

Demian Maia: $96,000 ($48,000 to show, $48,000 to win)
Dong Hyun Kim: $44,000

Mike Easton: $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win)
Ivan Menjivar: $13,000

Chad Mendes: $36,000 ($18,000 to show, $18,000 to win)
Cody McKenzie: $10,000

Habib Nurmagomedov: $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win)
Gleison Tibau: $31,000

Constantinos Philippou: $32,000 ($16,000 to show, $16,000 to win)
Riki Fukuda: $28,000

Melvin Guillard: $72,000 ($36,000 to show, $36,000 to win)
Fabricio Camoes: $8,000

Rafaello Oliveira: $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win)
Yoislandy Izquierdo: $6,000

Shane Roller: $46,000 ($23,000 to show, $23,000 to win)
John Alessio: $10,000

Overpaid: Look, we know Cung Le is a big time movie star (He was the bomb in Phantoms Pandorum, yo.) and all, but is he really popular enough to earn a 150 thousand dollar paycheck? We’ll give him all the credit in the world for his performance against Patrick Cote, which was easily his finest since he permanently impacted five pounds of undigested raw meat into Scott Smith’s small intestine at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum, but to think that his base rate is almost as high as Silva’s is pretty unbelievable. Granted, Silva likely took home a significant cut of the astronomical PPV dollars, which likely boosted his salary toward the half mil mark considering those numbers. We imagine that was the case, though to a lesser extent, for Sonnen as well, because 50K doesn’t seem like much compensation for a man who has been tirelessly trolling the MMA world for a good two years now.

Also, Riki Fukuda apparently makes 28K to show. If we could tell you who that is, we would surely have more of an opinion on the matter.

*Checks Sherdog*

Ah, he’s the defending DEEP middleweight champion. Nope, still nothing.

Underpaid: Honestly, there isn’t really any figure that jumps to our immediate attention. We just hope DW threw Cody McKenzie a few extra dollars for essentially jumping on a grenade against Chad Mendes. And while we’re speaking of Mendes, considering that the man is a former title challenger, he isn’t exactly living up to his “Money” moniker. Let’s hope when his contract expires he can at least start making the money he rightfully deserves as the number 2 featherweight in the world.

–J. Jones 

UFC 146 Salaries: Dos Santos, Cain, Mir Sock Away $200k Apiece; Three Others Crack Six Figures


(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

Cain Velasquez: $200,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus)
def. Antonio Silva: $70,000

Roy Nelson: $110,000 (includes $20,00 win bonus and $70,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Dave Herman: $21,000

Stipe Miocic: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Shane Del Rosario: $20,000


(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

Cain Velasquez: $200,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus)
def. Antonio Silva: $70,000

Roy Nelson: $110,000 (includes $20,00 win bonus and $70,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Dave Herman: $21,000

Stipe Miocic: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Shane Del Rosario: $20,000

Stefan Struve: $128,000 (includes $29,000 win bonus and $70,000 Submission of the Night bonus)
def. Lavar Johnson: $26,000

Darren Elkins: $28,000 (includes $14,000 win bonus)
def. Diego Brandao: $15,000

Jamie Varner: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Edson Barboza: $18,000

C.B. Dollaway: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
def. Jason “Mayhem” Miller: $45,000

Dan Hardy: $120,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus and $70,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Duane “Bang” Ludwig: $18,000

Paul Sass: $90,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus and $70,000 Submission of the Night bonus)
def. Jacob Volkmann: $20,000

Glover Teixeira: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Kyle Kingsbury: $12,000

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?

UFC 141 Salaries: Don’t Worry, Alistair Overeem Got His Money


(“Go on. Tell me my tie is uneven. I fucking dare you.”)

Before his fight against Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 on Friday, Alistair Overeem‘s former management team convinced a Nevada District Court to issue an order that would garnish Overeem’s fight purse pending an ongoing legal battle. (Short version: Overeem and Golden Glory both claim that the other side owes them money.) Luckily for the ‘Reem, the Nevada State Athletic Commission chose to ignore that order:

Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer told ESPN.com it was his understanding that the bond was not posted, therefore Overeem received a check for $385,714.28 — his bout fee and win bonus. Overeem will also earn a signficiant portion of UFC 141’s pay-per-view proceeds.

Golden Glory’s legal representation released a statement in response saying that they won’t give up so easily:

“This was a short-term possibility that KOI and Golden Glory were prepared for. Seeking the initial writ was merely the first step in a long-term litigation strategy that KOI and Golden Glory will prosecute in Nevada. The writ of attachment remedy remains fully available to my clients and will be sought as to Mr. Overeem’s future pay-per-view payout, which we expect will be more lucrative than his initial fight purse. Rest assured, now that we have had the opportunity to troubleshoot complex international hurdles – and without a long holiday weekend to contend with – future writs of attachment will be utilized to ensure that Mr. Overeem makes good on the commissions owed to my clients and his Golden Glory training team, who helped him achieve the success he now enjoys.”

UFC 141’s full list of disclosed salaries and bonuses is after the jump…


(“Go on. Tell me my tie is uneven. I fucking dare you.”)

Before his fight against Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 on Friday, Alistair Overeem‘s former management team convinced a Nevada District Court to issue an order that would garnish Overeem’s fight purse pending an ongoing legal battle. (Short version: Overeem and Golden Glory both claim that the other side owes them money.) Luckily for the ‘Reem, the Nevada State Athletic Commission chose to ignore that order:

Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer told ESPN.com it was his understanding that the bond was not posted, therefore Overeem received a check for $385,714.28 — his bout fee and win bonus. Overeem will also earn a signficiant portion of UFC 141′s pay-per-view proceeds.

Golden Glory’s legal representation released a statement in response saying that they won’t give up so easily:

“This was a short-term possibility that KOI and Golden Glory were prepared for. Seeking the initial writ was merely the first step in a long-term litigation strategy that KOI and Golden Glory will prosecute in Nevada. The writ of attachment remedy remains fully available to my clients and will be sought as to Mr. Overeem’s future pay-per-view payout, which we expect will be more lucrative than his initial fight purse. Rest assured, now that we have had the opportunity to troubleshoot complex international hurdles – and without a long holiday weekend to contend with – future writs of attachment will be utilized to ensure that Mr. Overeem makes good on the commissions owed to my clients and his Golden Glory training team, who helped him achieve the success he now enjoys.”

UFC 141′s full list of disclosed salaries and bonuses is after the jump…

Alistair Overeem: $385,714.28 (includes 121,428.57 win bonus)
def. Brock Lesnar: $400,000

Nate Diaz: $149,000 (includes $37,000 win bonus, $75,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
def. Donald Cerrone: $105,000 (includes $75,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

Johny Hendricks: $127,000 (includes $26,000 win bonus, $75,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Jon Fitch: $60,000

Alexander Gustafsson: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus)
def. Vladimir Matyushenko: $40,000

Jim Hettes: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Nam Phan: $8,000

Ross Pearson: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
def. Junior Assuncao: $8,000

Danny Castillo: $38,000 (includes $19,000 win bonus)
def. Anthony Njokuani: $12,000

Dong Hyun Kim: $82,000 (includes $41,000 win bonus)
def. Sean Pierson: $8,000

Jacob Volkmann: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus)
def. Efrain Escudero: $10,000

Diego Nunes: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
def. Manny Gamburyan: $18,000

Total disclosed payout: $1,594,714.28 — 49% of which went to main eventers Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar.

The above figures do not include additional revenue from sponsorships, undisclosed “locker room bonuses”, and cuts of the pay-per-view revenue, or deductions for taxes, insurance, and licensing fees.

TUF 14 Finale Salaries: Michael Bisping Makes Way, Way More Than Everybody Else


(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

Tony Ferguson: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Yves Edwards: $16,000

Johnny Bedford: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Louis Gaudinot: $8,000

Marcus Brimage: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Stephen Bass: $8,000

John Albert: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Dustin Pague: $8,000

Roland Delorme: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Josh Ferguson: $8,000

Steven Siler: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Josh Clopton: $8,000

Bryan Caraway: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Dustin Neace: $8,000