Not 1 MMA Fighter on Forbes Top Payed Athlete List

Wolfgangsta wrote:

9 million a year? In five years these guys could be easily banking close to 20 a year at the top. The paydays can't get there over night.

agree but Liddell was virtually the pitch man of everything for a while there

but your right 1 or 2 could be in the top 50 I still think its nuts how much Floyd brought in

lol...no shit.

You can probably come fairly close to finding 50 players in the NBA alone that will make that list before any MMA fighter...not even getting into NFL, MLB, Boxing, Tennis, Golf, etc.

Most of the money they make is on outside sponsorship deals too. I am not complaining because I think the UFC makes a ton of money more than fighters and they should. Let's be realistic, they lost millions for years, but those fighters got paid. They took a tremendous gamble, they were down tens of millions of dollars and kept betting that it would get better. However, I think in the years to come where fighters will make there money is refusing to sign the Champions Clause unle$$. SF will either straighten out or not. I am sure Scott Coker is busy trying to right his ship, particularly with the fallout of the Fedor Experiment. Lots of money went out and little if no gain was its return. I think a merge with two or more organizations of Bellator, sharkfights, KOTC or SF, that you have the opportunity to bring a real competitor against the UFC as long as your liquid and have reserves. Look at Shields, he is making what 80/80 a fight? I bet with a win he easily starts making 500K with bonuses and sponsorships, but with a real competitor for his services? He is all the sudden making 100/100 a fight and his sponsors lay down more bucks. The best deal the UFC has gotten performance wise has got to be Evan Dunham. I think he is making like 7,500/7,500 a fight and performing like no ones business. That guy is terrific and he is making union wages to fight.

If you use the same figures for Lesnar that Couture gets for his ppv cut then this should be what Lesnar has gotten from salary, ppv cut, and announced bonuses.

2008
UFC 81: 650k ppv buys = $1,950,000
UFC 87: 625 ppv buys = $1,875,000
UFC 91: 850 ppv buys = $ 2,550,000

UFC 81 Salary: $250,000
UFC 87 Salary: $500,000
UFC 91 Salary: $500,000
For 2008 Brock took home $7,625,000

2009
UFC 100 ppv: $4,500,000
UFC 100 salary: $400,000
For 2009 take home $4,900,000

This was the breakdown for the ppv as shown in court documents by Couture. Brock has to be making the same or more. These figures are based off of the same cut.

100,000 - 175,000 buys - $1 per buy

-175,000 - 300,000 buys - $1.50 per buy

-300,000 - 330,000 buys - $2 per buy

-330,000 - plus buys - $3 per buy