Yes, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (Pictured). I’d be sporting a giant Kool-Aid smile if I were you, too.
Despite dropping a convincing unanimous decision to Alexander Gustafsson at “UFC on FOX: Henderson vs. Diaz,” the former light heavyweight champ was the night’s highest earner.
According to the Washington State Department of Licensing, Shogun left Seattle with a cool $175,000 for his 15 minutes of work.
Gustafsson, meanwhile, only scored $60,000, with half of his paycheck coming via win bonus.
In keeping with the theme of defeated fighters pocketing the largest paydays, BJ Penn was the show’s second-highest earner. Penn landed $150,000 for his defeat to Rory MacDonald.
Penn’s salary more than tripled MacDonald’s, who was paid $42,000 including his win bonus.
Please keep in mind, the numbers that get reported to the athletic commissions are only of what’s required. These figures do not include deductions for items such as licenses and taxes.
Additionally, they do not contain money paid by sponsors or any bonuses from the UFC. These royalties can include Fight Night bonuses, top secret discretionary bonuses, etc., which can oftentimes represent a substantial portion of a fighter’s total income.
Key Arena in Seattle hosted Saturday’s event.
Here are the official salaries for UFC on FOX 5:
Preliminary Card:
Scott Jorgensen: $41,000 (includes $20,500 win bonus) Defeated John Albert: $10,000
Dennis Siver: $62,000 (includes $31,000 win bonus) Defeated Nam Phan: $10,000
Abel Trujillo: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) Defeated Marcus LeVesseur: $8,000
Daron Cruickshank: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) Defeated Henry Martinez: $8,000
Ramsey Nijem: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) Defeated Joe Proctor: $8,000
Raphael Assuncao: $38,000 (includes $19,000 win bonus) Defeated Mike Easton: $14,000
Yves Edwards: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus) Defeated Jeremy Stephens: $24,000
Main Card:
Matt Brown: $54,000 (includes $27,000 win bonus) Defeated Mike Swick: $48,000
Rory MacDonald: $42,000 (includes $21,000 win bonus) Defeated BJ Penn: $150,000
Alexander Gustafsson: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus) Defeated Mauricio Rua: $175,000
Benson Henderson: $78,000 (includes $39,000 win bonus) Defeated Nate Diaz: $50,000
