UFC 98 Salaries: Evans, Hughes, Machida Top Earners
Headliners Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida and co-main event fighters Matt Hughes and Matt Serra were the top earners at UFC 98 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Evans, the former UFC light heavyweight champion who was defeated via second-round knockout by Machida, earned $200,000 for the bout. Machida received $140,000 for his main event victory.
Rivals Matt Hughes and Matt Serra took home $200,000 and $75,000 respectively for their matchup, which Hughes won by unanimous decision.
The official salaries for UFC 98, as reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, were:
- Lyoto Machida ($140,000 – includes $70,000 win bonus) def. Rashad Evans ($200,000)
- Matt Hughes ($200,000 – $100,000 win bonus) def. Matt Serra ($75,000)
- Drew McFedries ($34,000 – $17,000 win bonus) def. Xavier Foupa-Pokam ($6,000)
- Chael Sonnen ($50,000 – $25,000 win bonus) def. Dan Miller ($15,000)
- Frankie Edgar ($40,000 – $20,000 win bonus) def. Sean Sherk ($40,000)
- Brock Larson ($42,000 – $21,000 win bonus) def. Mike Pyle ($15,000)
- Tim Hague ($10,000 – $5,000 win bonus) def. Pat Barry ($7,000)
- Kyle Bradley ($8,000 – $4,000 win bonus) def. Phillipe Nover ($10,000)
- Krzysztof Soszynski ($16,000 – $8,000 win bonus) def. Andre Gusmao ($5,000)
- Yoshiyuki Yoshida ($16,000 – $8,000 win bonus) def. Brandon Wolff ($3,000)
- George Roop ($16,000 – $8,000 win bonus) def. David Kaplan ($8,000)
In addition to the above salaries, Machida, Hughes, Serra, and Larson each took home $60,000 fight night bonuses.
[Pictured: Rashad Evans knocked out by Lyoto Machida at UFC 98]
Tags: Andre Gusmao, Brandon Wolff, Brock Larson, Chael Sonnen, Dan Miller, Dave Kaplan, Drew McFedries, Frankie Edgar, George Roop, Krzysztof Soszynski, kyle bradley, Lyoto Machida, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Mike Pyle, Pat Berry, Phillipe Nover, Rashad Evans, Sean Sherk, Tim Hague, Xavier Foupa-Pokam, Yoshiyuki Yoshida
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Id let Lyoto Macida punch me all day for 200 thousand benjamins
Evans got a hell of a lot of money for getting knocked out,he got more than the guy who drinks his own pi$$ who knocked him out. Times are tough man, Professor X only got $6,000, Brandon Wolff only got $3,000
overall good card, fun fights
Professor X is Professor Broke now snd Machida can afford all the pi$$ he wants now
Haha, De La Hoya got millions for taking a beating, this doesn’t surprise me!
Click on Rashad’s picture on top of the page and check out his eyes. YIKES!!
yeah that’s a pretty disturbing shot dude, like you said YIKES!!!
Damn dude that picture is awesome!
That bonus was well earned for mcfredries. he whooopped professor x’s ass!
Hughes sure got paid to sean sherk matt serra!
Zingger!!!!
If people didn’t know there are five stages {correct me if I’m wrong} of consiousness. Rashad seemed to be in like the ninth stage his eyes were completely gone. Hughes got more than he deserved former champ or not. Evans probably would have doubled his check had he of won so that’s not a bad pay day for seven minutes of work. Granted all the real dedicated fighters train every day and deserve every dollar they get IMO. I still wouldn’t fight for like 25k a year witch some of these guys are doing. I’m a Union Painter and even I make 65k a year believe it or not.
Foupa-Pokam, wolff, Gusamo and so on. I mean Pat Berry only got 7k I thought he was worth more than that. Maybe not
But Turk these fighters sign their own contracts, ya know…. I do get what you’re saying but hell they get a majority of their earnings from sponsors, well atleast til they become a “big name” but even then… UFC might have a take it or leave it, attitude with the offers that they give to these guys but hell when you’re #1 ya kinda can be that way….
And if you’re making that much money I say down with the Union’s
jk but I mean you probably have to earn your way up to that level of pay, just like these young guys do in the UFC….
It should also be noted that every guy who made less than $10k in base salary is on their first contract. Between $5 and $8k seems to be the standard first contract amount, and generally it seems to be $8 for most of the new ones signed in the last year or so. Is that a pittance? Maybe, but as has been pointed out in numerous “debates” (and by debates I really mean internet shouting matches), simply “going to Affliction” isn’t the payday for these guys that it is made out to be. The best way to get a better contract in the UFC: either be a true stud from the WEC (not applicable now that weight classes no longer overlap, but see Chael Sonnen), or make sure that you perform really well over the life of your first contract and work your way up. Same as all other jobs.
Oh, and also the guys who are making $5k are usually ones called in last minute for a one fight fill-in.
The thing that needs to be remembered is that the sponsors (mmawarehouse, condom depot, warrior wear, etc.) that have the big noticable logos on these dude’s asses and tee shirts pay them more than their UFC checks. I bet Berry netted close to 50K when all the checks clear. Maybe I’m wrong but I remember hearing that Warrior Wear paid James Irvin over 20K for him to wear a tee shirt to the ring.
And yet the card, on the whole, had higher payouts than Affliction who had several 2k fighters on the card. One guy made under 5k, and he would have made more had he won.
If these guys aren’t happy with what they make, they should get a real job. No one has a RIGHT to make anything fighting. If you can’t earn a living in one job, get another.
I’m sick of the whining.
Minus the taxes, have a base salary of $5000 a fight, plus incentives, and guys like Nover don’t make $10 K for taping/stopage due to strikes. I bet my poker salary, guys who fight for a bonuses, give a better fight.
Im also sure that Rashad, Lyoto, Hughes, and Serra got a nice cut from PPV too.
Wow, Matt Hughes got $260,000.00 to receive a flash knockout and then proceed to lay on the mat for 10 more minutes. Talk about a pay day for doing nothing.
I understand about the sponsor money guys, and wouldn’t even say or compare anything with Affliction and the UFC its like comparing little league and the major league there totally different. {2 shows vs 98] plus the TUF show. The UFC pulls in their fare share as well. I’m done with the payouts as none of us have any say about it anyway. My point is MMA is growing so rapidly that they should pay fighters accordingly. Look at all our other major sports NO ONE, pry not even the water boys {joking] make 25k a year. Also the fighters have to make the sponsors WANT to promote them don’t they?
dbiz
Was wondering what’s a real job to you? What’s your career? Have you ever been into a fight professionally?
I’m guessing not! Fighting alone isn’t these guys only job. If you watch the UFC you would realize there are some phenomenal athletes out there training two, some times three times a day how is that not a real job. Not trying to be a dick but, go to the gym if you don’t already, and see just how hard just being in good shape is let alone the shape these guys are in.
I think he meant more that if the fighters don’t like how they are paid, they should “get a real job”, as in a job that has a standard work week, 9-5, salary.