Lesnar ($450,000), Couture ($250,000) Top UFC 91 Payroll
Newly-crowned UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was the top earner at UFC 91, earning $450,000 for his second-round TKO of former title-holder Randy Couture, who received $250,000 for his losing effort.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission today released the fighter salaries, which do not include bonuses and also exclude taxes, fees, sponsor payments, and other miscellaneous payments and fees.
The total disclosed payroll for the event, excluding the $60,000 UFC 91 fight night bonuses paid to Aaron Riley, Jorge Gurgel, Dustin Hazelett, and Jeremy Stephens, was $1,118,000.
Lesnar and Couture are also expected to pocket a hefty bonus based on the event’s pay-per-view buys, which were predicted to top one million.
The salaries for UFC 91 [listed as (total salary/win bonus) for winners and (total salary) for losers], as reported to the NSAC, were:
- Brock Lesnar ($450,000/$200,000) def. Randy Couture ($250,000)
- Kenn Florian ($80,000/$40,000) def. Joe Stevenson ($35,000)
- Dustin Hazelett ($28,000/$14,000) def. Tamdan McCrory ($10,000)
- Gabriel Gonzaga ($110,000/$55,000) def. Josh Hendricks ($8,000)
- Demian Maia ($40,000/$20,000) def. Nate Quarry ($25,000)
- Aaron Riley ($8,000/$4,000) def. Jorge Gurgel ($10,000)
- Jeremy Stephens ($16,000/$8,000) def. Rafael dos Anjos ($4,000)
- Mark Bocek ($18,000/$9,000) def. Alvin Robinson ($7,000)
- Matt Brown ($16,000/$8,000) def. Ryan Thomas ($3,000)
For a recap and results from UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar click here.
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Wow thts alot of payper views, brock got like his hands a massive paycheck, good to see fighters starting to earn good money, hopefully theyll earn wot football players n boxers earn one day.
well its good to see some fighters are getting up there but saying they paid there dues is an under statment. i hate to see someone putting there heart and soul in the ring and making 3000, thats bull sh1t. hopefully in the future and with espns intrest in the sport there will be a minimum pay and these fighters can get and at least get a little respect for what they do.
HAS ANYTHING HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT HEURTA
i think they should have some kind of a ranking were it is a set price for the rank you hold! imo
I wonder what Randy’s thoughts are on his payday???
Wow $250,000 plus pay per views to take a dive!!! I would have done the same.
Randy would have been paid 500g if he would have won
Take a dive huh? Wow
You guys pissed off at Lesnar making big money then in the same breath saying the guys paying their dues aren’t making **** are completely idiots. Lesnar is the REASON these smaller guys will be making much more money in the future. But he’s BAD for the sport… I hope everyone with this attitude just leaves. It’s better for the sport. The only thing bad for it are the idiotic fans giving it a bad name.
Grkmmafan said:
Wow $250,000 plus pay per views to take a dive!!! I would have done the same
i don’t think you even belong on this site that is the worst comment i have ever read on this site. Randy is the most acomplished fighter in UFC or MMA for that matter “take a dive?”
tou are a troll’s troll IMO
i am changing my name back to windmiller now i hate trolls!
How is a NCAA CHAMPION bad for the sport? I don’t get it. The mans cred is legit. So what he was a WWE “wrestler”. The man is huge, athletic and down right nasty, what isn’t there to like about him? Love him or hate him he is going to be a force for a very long time. I wish he would of done this along time ago, same with Kurt Angle, who at 205 would be down right fearsome. Remember it all starts with a good wrestling base and Lesnar is the best Hwt wrestler in the UFC and will be there for along time. Everyone better get used to it.
Big Big Bucks, i hope the UFC can afford big paydays on a regular monthly schedule, but i guess some events will be less than this.
@timcat, here is my opionion, Angle would have done well perhaps we will most likely never know, I also don’t think if he attempted a new carrer in MMA @40ish he would get the athletic commities clearance due to his 4x fused neck
Lesnar is a beast and he beat Randy, Lesnar will become quite dominant when he becomes more well rounded, but I believe he has the desire to make those improvements in his game… Kos relied on his wrestling for the begining of his carrer now he is becoming more well rounded (I dislike Kos but kid has skill), I also don’t believe that Lesnar is bad for the sport of MMA… He has prettymuch been humble when he talks (the Herring thing I chaulk up to pure excitment) dresses well and holds the sport in high regard essentially the anti Kevin Ferguson..
I don’t believe that MMA’s base is wrestling, it does help to either have great takedowns or great takedown defense, lay n pray is at times some wrestlers fortay early on in their carrer’s… I just gotta say that u as a fighter can start in any one disapline and work dilegiantly towards rounding out your game and become great in the world of MMA but you really don’t have to start out with wrestling as the “base” of MMA perfect example GSP, he is arguably the best wrestler in MMA and he never had a competitive wrestling match in his entire life..
*he wouldn’t get medical clearance*
@ I love trolls
Listen I really wanted randy to win this fight solely because Lesnar did NOT!!! deserve a title shot, I’m not disrespecting Randys career, the man is a legend and always will be IMO. My personal opinion aside. I watched the event sunday since there is no way I can watch it live. This has to be one of the best PPV the UFC ever put on. All the fights finished and even the decision was a wicked match to watch. After eevry single fight the finish was shown 3-4 times and in slowmo, how many times do u think they showed the couture-lesnar finish??? Once and in real time. I played it back 5-6 times pausing through the swing and finish. Lesnar did not land a solid punch although he did find randy on the back of the head the punch slipped OFF!!! there was no solid contact, and never in my opinion would “the natural” get knocked out by a punch like that in a million years. Trust me I’m not some noob that just started watching MMA neither am I trying to disrespect anybody just watch the end of the fight for yourself again, and you will see I do make a valid point.
Furthermore I hope I am wrong about this but I think Mir will win a split decision he doesn’t deserve over big nog so they can set up
Lesnar VS. Mir 2 so they can unify the belts.
Grk, have u ever been hit by a 275lbs man? One Randy hadn’t fought in 400 some odd days, 2 it looked similar to the fashion that GSP got ended by Serra (more of a huge forearm to the temple) that one punch that dropped Randy didn’t end the fight, it was the unanswered beating he was taking from Lesnar that got the fight stopped….
To say Randy took a dive implies disrespect (sarcasim doesn’t come across well in internet forums).. Out of anyone in the world of MMA I doubt Randy would take a dive com’on man… It would have been more likely that the bell would have rang to begin the fight and then Jay Herion would have thrown in the towel… If he wanted to discredit himself and this wonderful sport…
Grk,
the assertion that Randy took a dive is outlandish, and will not garner you any friends here. In fact any implication that there are any shenanigans inside the UFC octagon in terms of predetermined outcomes will cause you to be viewed negatively in these parts.
yeah not going to lie that is pretty offensive and what the hell would Randy stand to gain from it? It killed any chance he had a fighting Fedor(who he said he wanted to fight). Not to mention I’ve seen less stagger guys. Add to it that Randy’s chin is no where near where it was years ago. Plus he was hit in the temple…that’s the weakest part of skull… plus even if the shot didn’t land flush it knocks Randy off balance(cause he wasn’t out then) and then he’s eating shots…THAT’s when it was called(like FR702 said). Also where do you come off saying Mir doesn’t deserve to fight Nog… he’s only you know the FORMER UFC CHAMPION. To imply that he will given the win just to set-up Mir vs Lesnar 2 is ridiculous. Even if Mir loses this fight to Big Nog there will still be a Mir vs. Lesnar 2 solely on the basis that Lesnar will want to avenge the loss. However that is your opinion and you are entitled to that.
FR702- while wrestling is not necessarily the must have prerequisite for success in this sport it REALLY helps. The main reason is because you learn how to execute takedowns and defend them. Also it helps to know the clinch work that you use in Greco-Roman. Not to mention there are several chokes that are really easy to teach wrestlers. I think it’s easier to teach a wrestler MMA than it is to teach someone only trained in boxing or kickboxing, if only because you already have a strong base in take downs, take down defense, ground control and clinch work, that way you can focus on the BJJ or striking more so than that. GSP is kinda deceiving as far as not competing in wrestling matches since he does he practice with the Canadian National team. I agree with you that it is not the base for MMA it is a great skill set to already have in your arsenal if you decide to start training.
Chris L, wrestling is an awesome foundation forsure.. Not discrediting that form whatsoever, I’ve learned wrestling from top competitors here in California years ago just to simply work with my JJ soo in that aspect I most definately agree you (actually I think we are agreeing with one another anyways)… Clinch work is to each their own clearly u look at Randy his Greco clinch is tops forsure, then there is the Plum perfectly performed by Anderson Silva two different control tactics done by the best are imo equally effective cheers my friend, I do respect wrestling as a top form in MMA
I’m with you Chris. Wrestling is not necessarily *the* base for MMA, if you’ve got it, its a great place to start. I would argue that Judo is really good too though, because it utilizes some of the same principals, it also takes advantage of submissions which makes learning jits easier. I took a 6 week course in Judo when I was 12, and later that year I started wrestling in school, and out the gate I was better than a lot of the kids I that were starting out with me. Striking is good to have, but if all you have is striking skills and no take down defense I think it would be easy for to start a career with a few losses. On the other hand, a wrestler (or any ground fighter) that is in the process of learning stand up can lay and pray their way to a few wins early in their career. Kos did the lay and pray most of his time on TUF even.
Oh we are in agreement essentially. I think clinch work is one of the most important parts of the game. Even though I wrestled since I was 14 I always preferred the Thai clinch rather than the Greco-Roman clinch. I will say though of the disciplines I have trained and train in I think COMBAT SAMBO (combat is much different than regular SAMBO) translates the best to MMA since it is a true all round style. Judo is fantastic as far as learning leverage, throws, and some subs but I know too many guys that could not translate it due to the whole No Gi aspect. At least in SAMBO it’s just a Kurtka and shorts rather than the full GI so it makes it a little easier. I’ve been involved in many different martial arts before I settled into my two arts(SAMBO and Muay Thai) and that was after HS and College wrestling. It’s all what suits your body type and weight class the best.
oh and Justin I agree with you on Kos. To me he is the prime example as to having the strong wrestling base to survive before he had the skills to win.
I can see how the Gi thing can set people back.
Randy throwing the fight is just stupid. This isn’t EXC.
I enjoy the Thai method more so because of my height and the ability to throw knees and such
Dang, I feel like a bum, you guys are talking about your training now, and the last time I did any kind of Combat sport was 9 years ago, and that was wrestling in 9th grade.
oh…for the Brits that bum like, lazy worthless guy (Kimbo) not your definition of bum.
No worries Justin sorry for making you bummed
Got shot at Keving Ferguson by the way
no worries. I will get into a gym at some point and learn some stuff, but I’ve got other stuff going on right now.
Righton Justin, responsibilities are a hell of a thing aren’t they
yeah, pretty much, that’s why most people my age shirk them and move back in with Mom and Dad when they get out of college or stay in college longer.
Sometimes you’ve got to do whatcha gotta do my friend, college is a hell of a time very good times haha
Grkmmafan you may want to just change your name now because you will never be taken serious on this site again. I have never heard such a bs statement. You did follow it up nicely with your fake mir and nog fight in which mir wins the split. What a stupid couple comments to make to first say randy dives and then to say nog is gunna dive a split dec. I wish I wouldn’t have read that crap its bs comments like that that start bs rumors stick to the wwe buddy. It is good to c the fighters getting more of the profits but I don’t ever se them making millions for one fight because they can fight five six times a year and they also get paid by there sponsers on top of their purse from the fight so it is safe to say that they do ok lol. I wouldn’t say wrestling is the base all though it seems the best starting point in cases but I will say it is best to start with a different disciplin than striking lol.
Rudeone,
re: I don’t ever se(sic) them making millions for one fight
Actually, Randy and Chuck have made 1mil and more for one fight. Because they get the regular fight pay , plus win bonus, plus percentage of live gate, plus percentage of ppv, and that all adds up to around a mil. or maybe a little more.
How does Gonzaga get more than Florian? That is wrong.
Ok maybe the dive comment was a bit harsh, but thats the way it seemed to ME!!! Again it’s just my opinion. But none of you are disputing the replay after the fight. Where was it? and why wasn’t it shown? Have you ever seen Rogan interview a guy after the fight and not look at the replay with them, especially after a KO, TKO or submission? How come this time?? It just seemed a little suspicious. As for him getting hit in the temple, never happened it was back of the head and neck trust me, I download the events not watch them on youtube. As for him not being the same randy from yrs ago, yes to a certain extent, but he seemed to control lesnar on the fence pretty well. Anyway I think this was done to clean up their obligations to each other (Couture/UFC), so Randy can move on. Come guys he stepped into the ring at the affliction event and publicly stated he wanted Fedor, It’s not rocket science.
And I never once said Mir didn’t deserve a shot, however from a business standpoint champion VS champion will sell more ppvs then brock(champion) vs. Mir 2.
I actually pay for and watch them on TV, Brock hit him on the temple and ear. Why they didn’t show the replay in the ring? who knows, but it wasn’t because there were some shenanigans. They did show the replay after the hit, just not when they were talking in the cage. You’re still implying that it was a dive by talking about “well why didn’t they show the replay…”
Face it, you don’t know what you’re talking about, and I for one am done responding to you on this issue. Make a comment that actually makes some sense and maybe you can redeem yourself.
Hate to break it you but Randy has a new 3 fight contract with the UFC and this was the first one… Controlling a guy is much different that the ability to take a hit. You can control a fighter all day and then one hit and you’re off balance or out. Just ask Dos Anjos. Maybe you didn’t mean to say things the way you meant to about Mir but when you say a guy is less deserving that’s pretty harsh. That fight was signed months before the Lesnar-Couture fight took place so obviously guys at the UFC thought Mir was ready.
They showed the blow that put Randy down at least twice after the fight. they analyzed where it hit and everything. What they showed in the cage was what they always show – the end of the fight.
Furthermore, as others have said, it wasn’t just that punch that put Randy down, it was the elbow before it that wobbled him. When you’re already reeling, it doesn’t take much to put you down.
“Randy took a dive…” “The Mir fight will be fixed to give the result they want…”
Go back to the WWE, troll. The UFC doesn’t fix their fights. There are no full-time choreographers on staff to make sure that they performers dance the way they are supposed to. I’m sure they’ll build a bridge for you to live under in the sports entertainment world, though. They might even have a powerbomb through it so you can be part of the action.
Plank, GG gets paid more for his fight, because I believe he re~negotiated after the Cro Cop fight
KenFlo well he went from ultimate fighter pay, up a little he too should be up for re~negotiation here I believe soon… But remember the last 155er that complained about their pay (publicly) we haven’t seen too much of him recently (Roger “El Matador” Huerta)
Grk,you’re a wonderful troll, yet if you really believe this is the case then by all means feel free to be wrong… Either you’re a troll (top notch as well) or u are slightly confused by what happened Saturday night either way keep on explaining yourself to me and these gents but if you’re going to continue to imply that Randy dove feel free to go handle your trolling duties on sheeerdog, there is no for u to post those accusations here..
*no place*
@Grkmmafan
Randy taking a dive was my first instinct as well. It did not look like Lesnar connected with any of the final blows. I am always the first to defend MMA as being 100% real, but remember, the UFC’s motto is “As real as it gets.” I sure hope he did not lose the fight intentionally just to fulfill his contractual obligation with the UFC, but part of me doesn’t feel 100% certain.
@MMA FN
At least there’s somebody that partially agrees with me hehe. Unfortunately theres a lot of people who don’t want to look at these situations subjectively. I don’t want to believe that he threw the fight but thats the way it looked to me. Whether it happened or not we will never know, but theres no way I will ever believe lesnar won that fight 100% cleanely. Again I wanted Randy to win and I honestly thought if it went to the ground he would of. Again guys its just my opinion u dont have to agree or disagree with it. As for the ppl talking about go back to the WWE grow up!!! seriously.
the contract is still for 3 fights so regardless he still has two left…
Grk,
You’re not exactly in good company with MMA FN, he’s made suspect comments as well. The word you were looking for was objectively, not subjectively. Subjectively means you have a preformed opinion, objectively means you have no opinion, you’re just looking at the facts…or maybe you did mean subjectively…
1 loss equals 3 fights. I love the educated masses. It does look like he did mean subjectively. He had likely decided subconsciously that the only way for Randy to lose was to dive and he’s looking for a reason to believe it.
Randy coulda won- this is how:
Randy, I think is better conditioned. He shoulda danced around Lesnar with kicks and jabs, making Brock run after him.
I dont think Randy is the best boxer though. he had tried trading it with Brock, but it didnt work. Brock is very fast for a big dude. But his conditioning might have given up. Randy was too eager to jump in. I wished he’d made Brock dance. What do u guys think?
Didnt Brock look pretty winded at the end? or is it his sweaty comlpexion LOL
I WANNA SEE LESNAR VS KIMBO !!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Wow, Justin!! I let the subjectively vs. objectively part slide for fear of being called a “Troll” again, but I’m proud of you for being my apprenticed “Grammar Nazi.”
As far as being attacked for not knowing that Randy has a three fight contract with two remaining…I guess we’ll see what happens. Maybe the UFC will let him out of those.
For the record, my impression of the Couture/Lesnar fight ending was not what I wanted. I want 100% real fights, but whenever $$$ is involved, you never know for sure. I watched the ending again last night (objectively as always), and it is too grey to call. If it was staged then they did a good job of it (Brock’s and new actor Randy’s specialty).
At any rate, just because someone’s opinion threatens the very core of your MMA existence, doesn’t mean you have to go postal.
MMA FN,
1. I am not associated with you in any way, and (as far as I know) I’ve been posting on this website longer than you have. So don’t call me your apprenticed anything or in any way try to associate me in your shenanigans.
2. I wasn’t being a “Grammar Nazi” I was pointing out that he used the wrong word there. It would be one thing if was “there” v “their” but “subjective” v. “objective” are antonyms (they’re opposite for those that may not know that word). Pointing that out is like him saying Joe Stevenson won against Kenny Florian, and me pointing out that what he meant to say was that Joe Stevenson lost against Kenny Florian, because that it what happened. Obviously most people aren’t going to confuse win v lose, but subjective and objective I can understand people getting mixed up, but in the end, if you get them mixed up it changes what you’re saying.
Ok Justin,
What I said about being an “apprenticed grammar nazi” was all in fun. I have no desire to be buddies with you or to in any way tarnish your long-standing reputation on this site by me admiring your comment. Perhaps if you knew a little more about me, you would stop reacting the way you do.
First, I am a 38 year old, married, mother of four who is both a huge MMA fan and….an English teacher. When I go on this site, I usually just read the articles & comments and go on about my business. Last week, I read Windmiller & others butcher the English language in their comments. After having dealt with the same errors all day at work, I snapped.
As I continued reading the comments, you were the only one who a. adhered to the rules of Standard Written English and b. got on Windmiller for the wrong “your.” Then yesterday, I noticed the incorrect use of “subjectively” but kept quiet. I was pleased when you took the time to clarify the difference for the masses.
Call me crazy, but a world with MMA and grammar correction is highly-amusing to me.
At any rate, I hope that I have helped to clear things up this time instead of adding additional fuel to your fire. I guess I’ll find out.
MMA FN,
My apologies, I misunderstood the intention of your comment. Sometimes emotion/intent do not exactly translate over the internet.
Thank you:) I agree…I have no way to transmit my raised eyebrow and smirk.
I also apologise for using the wrong word, I did in fact mean to say objectively. Thank you for pointing that out to me Justin. MMA FN you hit the nail on the head when big money is involved nothing is 100% trustworthy.
i agree that brock thanking god ,
pointing to the sky, saying to god:
god bless you was a forest gump moment.
he is awesome though.
hey god,
go bless yourself, and thanks for the big hands too….
Honestly, I am REALLY surprised that they are able to keep the payroll so low.