UFC 148 purses

Anderson Silva: $200,000 (no win bonus) + $75,000 performance bonus = $275,000
def. Chael Sonnen: $50,000

Forrest Griffin: $275,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus) + $75,000 performance bonus = $350,000
Tito Ortiz: $250,000 + $75,000 performance bonus = $325,000

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

Demian Maia: $96,000 (includes $48,000 win bonus)
Dong Hyun Kim: $44,000

Chad Mendes: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus)
Cody McKenzie: $10,000

Mike Easton: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
Ivan Menjivar: $13,000

Melvin Guillard: $72,000 (includes $36,000 win bonus)
Fabricio Camoes: $8,000

Khabib Nurmagomedov: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
Gleison Tibau: $31,000

Constantinos Philippou: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus)
Riki Fukuda: $28,000

Shane Roller: $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus)
John Alessio: $10,000

Rafaello Oliveira: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
Yoislandy Izquierdo: $6,000

The total disclosed payroll for the event was $1,438,000.

The figures do not represent an accurate assessment of each fighter's income.

Fighters bear significant costs including training expenses, a percentage to management, a percentage to the trainer, insurance, licenses, and taxes.

On the income side, sponsorship money can be a substantial portion, or even exceed the purse from the fight. Further, the UFC often gives out undisclosed "locker room" bonuses for exceptional performance.

Elite level fighters can negotiate a portion of the PPV revenue, which can substantially exceed the disclosed payout. Lastly, many fighters earn income from teaching, from appearances, and in many cases from regular employment in the non fighting space.

Read entire article...