UFC 178 may be more notable for who didn't get paid than who did. Cat Zingano earned herself a title shot against Ronda Rousey but was paid only $18,000 for her troubles - which includes her $9,000 win bonus. Mighty Mouse Johnson received a decent pay-day given he is champ is the least-watched division in the UFC (arguably), but opponent Chris Cariaso made only $24,000 to challenge for Johnson's flyweight title. Patrick Cote made more ($33,000) to show up than the man who beat him, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, made with his show and win money combined ($32,000). MMA salaries depend on a lot on contracts that provide fighters with wage increases with each win, and a set amount of show money. That's why challengers rushed to title shots like Cariaso are making what seems to be relatively little despite fighting for a championship belt in the world's premiere MMA promotion. However, there is no question that the UFC is desperately in need of a minimum wage in the $12,000 range (if fighters fought three times a year, that would give them a $36,000 annual salary - which is still peanuts considering they have to pay for coaches and fight camps, but better than now), and a minimum wage for champions of, say, $150,000. Of course, there are always performance bonuses and sponsorships, but those can't always be relied upon. With all that in mind, lets take a look at the ten highest paid fighters at UFC 178. Please note: these numbers do not include Fight of the Night/Performance bonuses.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
