Although Dominick Cruz retained his bantamweight title over Urijah Faber in Saturday’s main event at UFC 132, it was Tito Ortiz that left the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with the night’s largest payday.
According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” earned a flat $450,000 salary for his brief one minute and 56 seconds of work.
Cruz pocketed a total of $40,000, which included a $20,000 win bonus for his unanimous decision victory. Faber, on the other hand, received a $32,000 paycheck.
Of all the contestants that competed in the pay-per-view portion of the broadcast, only Matt Wiman and Ryan Bader made less money than the card’s featured fighters.
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 insurance, licenses and taxes.
Additionally, they do not contain money paid by sponsors or any bonuses from the UFC. These royalties can include pay-per-view commissions, Fight Night bonuses, secret somethin’ somethin’ handshakes, etc., which can oftentimes represent a substantial portion of a fighter’s total income.
Here are the official paydays for UFC 132:
Preliminary Bouts:
Jeff Hougland: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Donny Walker: $6,000
Anthony Njokuani: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Andre Winner: $14,000
Aaron Simpson: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus) def. Brad Tavares: $10,000
Brian Bowles: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus) def. Takeya Mizugaki: $12,000
Rafael dos Anjos: $28,000 (includes $14,000 win bonus) def. George Sotiropoulos: $15,000
Melvin Guillard: $64,000 (includes $32,000 win bonus) def. Shane Roller: $21,000
Main Bouts:
Carlos Condit: $68,000 (includes $34,000 win bonus) def. Dong Hyun Kim: $41,000
Tito Ortiz: $450,000 (flat salary; no win bonus) def. Ryan Bader: $20,000
Dennis Siver: $50,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus) def. Matt Wiman: $18,000
Chris Leben: $92,000 (includes $46,000 win bonus) def. Wanderlei Silva $200,000 (flat salary)
Dominick Cruz: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Urijah Faber: $32,000