The UFC rarely gives the media and fans a glimpse into their books but the numbers were released early today for last night’s “The Ultimate Fighter” Finale. Topping the list was veteran and headliner Urijah Faber at $110K followed by Cole Miller at $42K and Travis Brown at $40K.
The total amount of cash shelled out by the UFC was $508,500. To put that into perspective the event made $569,000 gate from the 5,549 attendees. This is the norm when it comes to UFC, they rarely pay more in contracts than they take in at gate. Smart business men know how to make money, the best business men know how to keep money. The UFC’s model allows them to pocket TV/internet money from FX, Facebook, and usually Pay-Per-View on top of that.
In addition to the salaries listed below the UFC handed out $200K in bonuses for the night. A system where only one fighter makes over 6 figures and the main draw for the event, Uriah Hall, makes $8K will surely be questioned. The UFC has grown rapidly but they are still behind the curve when it comes to paying it’s fighters their just due.
Here are the TUF salaries according to USA Today & MMAJunkie.com:
Urijah Faber: $110,000 (includes $55,000 win bonus)
def. Scott Jorgensen: $23,500
Kelvin Gastelum: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Uriah Hall: $8,000
Cat Zingano: $14,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus)
def. Miesha Tate: $28,000
Travis Browne: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
def. Gabriel Gonzaga: $24,000
Robert McDaniel: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Gilbert Smith: $8,000
Josh Samman: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Kevin Casey: $8,000
Luke Barnatt: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Collin Hart: $8,000
Dylan Andrews: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Jimmy Quinlan: $8,000
Clint Hester: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Bristol Marunde: $8,000
Cole Miller: $42,000 (includes $21,000 win bonus)
def. Bart Palaszewski: $15,000
Maximo Blanco: $26,000 (includes $13,000 win bonus)
def. Sam Sicilia: $8,000
Daniel Pineda: $26,000 (includes $13,000 win bonus)
def. Justin Lawrence: $8,000
