sitnspin

The six figure contract means that over a certain period of time and number of fights, the fighter will earn six figures. I've seen nothing that says it's closer to 100k or 900k, but I'm willing to bet it's the former.

There's a pretty broad range in what UFC fighters get paid. For example, at an Ultimate Fight Night event last year, it went like this:

-Stephan Bonnar: $24,000 ($12,000 for fighting; $12,000 win bonus)

-Nathan Marquardt: $20,000 ($10,000 for fighting; $10,000 win bonus)

-Kenny Florian: $12,000 ($6,000 for fighting; $6,000 win bonus)

-Chris Leben: $10,000 ($5,000 for fighting; $5,000 win bonus)

-Nate Quarry: $10,000 ($5,000 for fighting; $5,000 win bonus)

-Josh Koscheck: $10,000 ($5,000 for fighting; $5,000 win bonus)

-Mike Swick: $10,000 ($5,000 for fighting; $5,000 win bonus)

-Ivan Salaverry: $8,000 ($8,000 for fighting; win bonus would have been $8,000)

-Patrick Cote: $5,000 ($5,000 for fighting; win bonus would have been $5,000)

-Sam Hoger: $5,000 ($5,000 for fighting; win bonus would have been $5,000)

-Alex Karalexis: $5,000 ($5,000 for fighting; win bonus would have been $5,000)

-Pete Sell: $4,000 ($4,000 for fighting; win bonus would have been $4,000)

-Pete Spratt: $4,000 ($4,000 for fighting; win bonus would have been $3,000)

-Drew Fickett: $4,000 ($2,000 for fighting; $2,000 win bonus)

-Gideon Ray: $3,000 ($3,000 for fighting; win bonus would have been $3,000)

-Josh Neer: $2,000 ($2,000 for fighting; win bonus would have been $2,000)

Total Fighter Payroll: $136,000 (average of $8,500 per fighter)


Then at UFC 54, the total fighter payroll was $635,000. Some of the payouts were:

-Randy Couture: $225,000 ($150,000 for fighting, $75,000 win bonus)

-Chuck Liddell: $160,000 ($80,000 for fighting; $80,000 win bonus)

-Jeremy Horn: $25,000 ($25,000 for fighting; win bonus would have been $25,000)

-Tim Sylvia: $80,000 ($40,000 for fighting; $40,000 win bonus)

-Tra Telligman: $9,000 ($9,000 for fighting; win bonus would have been $9,000)

Tito Ortiz supposedly wants 300k to beat Ken Shamrock, but I haven't heard yet if he's actually getting it.

__________________

rodnreel

Wow... For most of those guy's the pay out really sucks. Randy and Chuck are the only 2 that are making any kind of real money, and even they should be earning more. Perhaps as the popularity of the sport grows so will the earnings. I don't see how someone like Kenny Florian or Chris Leben can make a living fighting, and training full time. They've got to have full time jobs to make ends meet.

I'd like to see Tito get paid the $300k.

Kentified

Yeah well Dana White isn't exactly known for his generous payouts unfortunately.

__________________


"Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one."

-Bruce Lee

the_nothing

.....only if you're a good pool player

Nimmy

give me $10 grand and il fight any of them,$10 grand for 10 seconds sounds good, il do an eilers and fall to the ground ( id fake it of course)

MFS fan

Ten seconds is too long for me. Soon as the ref turned us loose I'd fall to the mat and tap without ever being touched. It'd be the fastest fight of all time. LOL!

__________________
Former Sergeant and SWAT officer.

sitnspin

Sponsorship has a lot to do with it. It's like when Michael Jordan signed his biggest contract ever, people were ooh-ing and ahh-ing over what the Bulls were paying him, but the money he was making from all of his sponsorship deals was equal or greater. Chuck's Xyience deal brings him something like a million bucks a year, and every logo you see a fighter wearing on his shorts, hat or t-shirt means money that he's received.

It's why Quinton Jackson wanted to come back to American soil to fight. Pride (rival MMA organization, based out of Japan. Sorry if you already knew that, but you say you're a new fan so I just wanted to be sure) pays more money per-fight than the UFC (they also draw 50,000 people to their events), but if you're not Japanese, it's hard to get lucrative sponsorship deals. Jackson knows he's a marketable persona, and he wanted to come back home and make some of that money that Chuck's earning.

__________________