Strikeforce paydays and salaries for 'Evolution'
by Jesse Holland on Dec 21, 2009 2:06 PM EST
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MMAmania.com (www.mmamania.com) has received the fighter payouts for Strikeforce: "Evolution" from the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) for the Showtime event held at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, on Dec. 19.
As expected, hometown favorite and former middleweight champion Cung Le was the big earner of the night. Despite getting stopped by Scott Smith in the third round of their main event bout, Le banked a cool $150,000 for his efforts.
His opponent, "Hands of Steel," took home $55,000 and division bragging rights.
DREAM import Ronaldo Souza choked $65,000 out of Matt Lindland, including a $10,000 win bonus and the second highest purse of the night. "The Law" was broken but still fined Strikeforce $50,000 for showing up.
Gilbert Melendez, Josh Thomson and Mike Whitehead all scored double digit fight purses, as did Muhammed Lawal -- though "King Mo" ended up giving some of it back.
Apparently the CSAC was not amused with his decision to pressure wash the cage floor with his Rockstar Energy drink. The flashy-but-effective Lawal took a 10-percent hit for his stunt.
And for those of you 9-5ers who think you're underpaid, Daisuke Nakamura was compensated a paltry $200 for his unanimous decision loss to Justin Wilcox. And yes, I called the commission to verify that wasn't a typo.
Here are all the Strikeforce: "Evolution" payouts:
Scott Smith: $55,000 (no win bonus)
Cung Le: $150,000
Smith defeated Le via technical knockout (strikes) in round three
Gilbert Melendez: $55,000 (no win bonus)
Josh Thomson: $30,000
Melendez defeated Thomson via unanimous decision
Ronaldo Souza: $65,000 ($55,000 to show, $10,000 to win)
Matt Lindland: $50,000
Souza defeated Lindland via submission (arm triangle choke) in round one
Muhammed Lawal: $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win)
Mike Whitehead: $30,000
Lawal defeated Whitehead via knockout (strikes) in round one
Antwain Britt: $10,000 ($5,000 to show, $5,000 to win)
Scott Lighty: $5,000
Britt defeated Lighty via technical knockout (cuts) in round one
Justin Wilcox: $5,000 (no win bonus)
Daisuke Nakamura: $200
Wilcox defeated Nakamura via unanimous decision
Alex Crispim: $4,000 ($2,000 to show, $2,000 to win)
AJ Fonseca: $2,000
Crispim defeated Fonseca via unanimous decision
Keep in mind the salaries listed above do not include fight bonuses, sponsorships, percentages and other unofficial payments. It also does not include deductions for expenses such as insurance, taxes, etc.
The total base fighter payroll for the event was $481,200. 14,749 spectators packed the HP Pavilion for a live gate of $633,674.50.
For complete results and coverage of "Evolution" click here and here.
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I'll bet anything
Thats about what Le made in his 3 F level movies! COMBINED!!!!!
and he’ll never make that again in a fight!
Agreed
SF never need to waste that much money on him again.
"If you’re a fight fan, I don’t know how you don’t think that that card is a great card…." Dana White on UFC 108
20%: Percentage of MMAManiacs buying UFC 108 (I guess the other 80% aren't "real fight fans" according to Dana)
Without anyone else of note on this card and some random opponent
he could put 3,000 to 4,000 people in the arena in SJ. He’s the hometown hero. He was the live gate draw.
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Dec 22, 2009 12:50 AM EST up reply actions
King Mo
I figured he’d be getting more than that seeing how he’s a promising prospect but I guess you gotta earn that green and gold by dishing out the black and blue.
"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, you'll be a mile from them, and you'll have their shoes."
Strikeforce knows his value
Thats like onlt 2 grand more than what the UFC was paying Junie Browning.
@fjbar75 on twitter...formerly El Mexicutioner
lol
i can feel your hate from here mexi…
Every night i would pray to God for a new bike, then i realized God does not work that way, so i stole one and asked him to forgive me
What I said was true
No hate. The guy isnt anything great, and his payday shows it.
@fjbar75 on twitter...formerly El Mexicutioner
true
give him a few more fights and i do think he will be a force to reckoned with… im still in awe over ownage over mark kerr back at M1 breakthrough.
also s/f paydays are well off.. gegard mousasi got 2k for his win over babalu
Every night i would pray to God for a new bike, then i realized God does not work that way, so i stole one and asked him to forgive me
Gegard for sure found an envelope on his pillow that night...
one full of cash.
Took risks betting on the dogs @ 107 - Thank god for Hendricks, Wiman, Palhares and good'ol reliable Jon Fitch UD! Could have been a lot worse.
In awe over him beating Mark Kerr?
Mark Kerr sucks and is a paycheck fighter. He is worse than “The Wrestler” but in MMA
@fjbar75 on twitter...formerly El Mexicutioner
LOL
Funny and sad.
Took risks betting on the dogs @ 107 - Thank god for Hendricks, Wiman, Palhares and good'ol reliable Jon Fitch UD! Could have been a lot worse.
i know that
but i was about 4 rows from the ring and felt the slam and every shot after… even tho the guy was a can he crushed him with ease
Every night i would pray to God for a new bike, then i realized God does not work that way, so i stole one and asked him to forgive me
King Mo was always going to smash Kerr
Kerr shouldn’t be fighting anymore, I agree with Mexi he’s the Randy the Ram of MMA and needs to retire before he gets killed in the sport.
"If you’re a fight fan, I don’t know how you don’t think that that card is a great card…." Dana White on UFC 108
20%: Percentage of MMAManiacs buying UFC 108 (I guess the other 80% aren't "real fight fans" according to Dana)
Why?
why so hard on Kerr, that was his FIRST KO loss….?
"Sweat is the cologne of accomplishment"
- Heywood Hale Brown
All foreign fighters get paid through the organization they are on loan from
Fedor got 200K or something. M-1 kicks him another million + Mousasi got 2K but received another 70 from M-1
Nakamura got 200 bucks from the athletic commission and then Dream will pay the rest of his salary.
This is standard operating procedure for foreign fighters. Taxes on foreigners earning money in the US are astronomical and eat up a good deal of their purse. So they are paid a small amount then receive the rest at home.
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Dec 22, 2009 12:53 AM EST up reply actions
Jacare... wow!
$ 65,000!!!
He’d never earn such amount of money fighting jiu-jitsu.
Strikeforce payroll is excellent for the athletes.
Long life to the event.
"Once Flamengo, Flamengo until die"
agree
there is some pretty decent pay days with S/F, interested to see what the likes of hendo will make
Every night i would pray to God for a new bike, then i realized God does not work that way, so i stole one and asked him to forgive me
What did Fedor make his last fight? I don't remember.
Frank Mir packed 30+ pounds of solid muscle onto his body in five months. Why hasn't anyone called him out for steroid use? Is it because he never wrestled for Vince McMahon? I give Mir credit for his taste in strippers/wives, not his fighting skills or his personality.
U$ 300,000
"Once Flamengo, Flamengo until die"
by Eduardo Cruz on Dec 21, 2009 2:29 PM EST up reply actions
then he M1 prob took half the gate money
most of the advertisement revenue and scott cokers first born child
Every night i would pray to God for a new bike, then i realized God does not work that way, so i stole one and asked him to forgive me
Doesn’t appear to be much of an increase from UFC payouts, so what’s the big stink in guys moving to SF? Must be the flexibility to fight elsewhere and make other money, that’s it. That and if you’re mediocre you can still grab a belt.
the big fuss
Oh, and not to mention that they’re already paying equal to what UFC does or at times higher, and don’t quote me on this, but UFC may have a few years and PPV’s on SF of making millions and millions more. Plus UFC merchandise may sell a little more. And tuf may do better then SF Challengers.
Those are just thoughts though. Geez.
by daniel worby on Dec 21, 2009 6:15 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Fedor got 300K from Strikeforce
Then over a million from M-1 from the 2Million per fight that Strikeforce pays M-1 as part of their co-promotion. Its part of his contract. Same way with Affliction. He made over 2 Million per fight with Affliction but only several hundred thousand was reported in the US for tax purposes.
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Dec 22, 2009 12:55 AM EST up reply actions
still
not bad for a debut showing and only his 6th fight…
Every night i would pray to God for a new bike, then i realized God does not work that way, so i stole one and asked him to forgive me
He got paid more to fight Mark Kerr
Strikeforce knows his value though.
@fjbar75 on twitter...formerly El Mexicutioner
LOL
You don’t give up, even when you know you are wrong. That’s not a bad thing.
Frank Mir packed 30+ pounds of solid muscle onto his body in five months. Why hasn't anyone called him out for steroid use? Is it because he never wrestled for Vince McMahon? I give Mir credit for his taste in strippers/wives, not his fighting skills or his personality.
I was talking to Mexi...Sorry CoNr.
Frank Mir packed 30+ pounds of solid muscle onto his body in five months. Why hasn't anyone called him out for steroid use? Is it because he never wrestled for Vince McMahon? I give Mir credit for his taste in strippers/wives, not his fighting skills or his personality.
hehe
cant bad mouth king Mo, i do like this dude
Every night i would pray to God for a new bike, then i realized God does not work that way, so i stole one and asked him to forgive me
Agree
Don’t tell Mexi that he has potential though. He’s never heard of the word.
Frank Mir packed 30+ pounds of solid muscle onto his body in five months. Why hasn't anyone called him out for steroid use? Is it because he never wrestled for Vince McMahon? I give Mir credit for his taste in strippers/wives, not his fighting skills or his personality.
Anyone that beats guys that suck has potential.
Let see what his potential is when he fights a real fighter.
@fjbar75 on twitter...formerly El Mexicutioner
You might want to look up the word potential, Mexi
Quit talking about his opponents. Potential can’t be found in records. Hey, tell me again who Anderson Silva fought in his first 10 fights? Or Fedor in his first 6? I can name probably 10 Champs or former champs right now who fought bums for the first 2 or 3 years of fighting.
Why would SF let him fight a top guy in his first few fights? He has no potential to be any good(according to you). Why should he be fighting good fighters when he sucks(also according to you)?
Frank Mir packed 30+ pounds of solid muscle onto his body in five months. Why hasn't anyone called him out for steroid use? Is it because he never wrestled for Vince McMahon? I give Mir credit for his taste in strippers/wives, not his fighting skills or his personality.
Yep, pure hatred to not be able to admit King Mo has great talent and potential. Its going to be great to see his next fight. Big things from this guy.
by daniel worby on Dec 21, 2009 6:19 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
He might not even become Champ anywhere
But he will be a top 10 fighter. Mexicutioner’s acting like the guy will never amount to anything. Or that he has to fight top 5 guys right away. Who wants to see a good fighter knocked out before he can develop? He’s not even thirty yet, he has time. He can probably fight for another 8 years or so.
Frank Mir packed 30+ pounds of solid muscle onto his body in five months. Why hasn't anyone called him out for steroid use? Is it because he never wrestled for Vince McMahon? I give Mir credit for his taste in strippers/wives, not his fighting skills or his personality.
I also like how they told him he could do his entrance to pacify him
Than didn’t televise it. Thats something you do to a kid or some scrub. LOL
@fjbar75 on twitter...formerly El Mexicutioner
Not bad pays for some of these guys
I guess Cung Le is getting his pay based on fan appeal. I can’t believe Scott Smith is in the top of SF’s middle weight division, a major sign of how weak they are still.
Frank Mir packed 30+ pounds of solid muscle onto his body in five months. Why hasn't anyone called him out for steroid use? Is it because he never wrestled for Vince McMahon? I give Mir credit for his taste in strippers/wives, not his fighting skills or his personality.
I wouldnt say Top
as in very top but yeah it looks like he could be at number 5. I say put him up against Lindland or Cybrog.
Smith is by no means a world beater but put him in a cage with anybody on any given dya and he has potential to put them away …….besides andy
dude.....i am
lol
oops
Every night i would pray to God for a new bike, then i realized God does not work that way, so i stole one and asked him to forgive me
If you guys saw 2K pay days on a UFC card
You’d be bitching.
Otherwise, pretty soliday pay
Shogun lost a close decision! Everyone get crazy!
$200 is the worst one
Some of the payouts were great, others were abysmal. I can’t believe that Nakamura guy only got $200 and poor King Mo got screwed, he bot paid less than Whitehead and fined for his trouble. Stupid commission, King Mo’s celebration probabaly got more people interested in his next fight than his KO. No complaints from me for him entertaining the fans with his Stone Cold esque celebration.
"If you’re a fight fan, I don’t know how you don’t think that that card is a great card…." Dana White on UFC 108
20%: Percentage of MMAManiacs buying UFC 108 (I guess the other 80% aren't "real fight fans" according to Dana)
200.00
Why did he take this fight? Lol, don’t you think he could’ve at least said "No, I’m pulling out if you don’t give me 1,000.00 ", and them say okay?
That is pitiful and the 1st thing about SF that’s bothersome in a while.
And 2k for a fight is not being bitched about here vs UFC, because they don’t exactly have the same income now do they?
by daniel worby on Dec 21, 2009 6:25 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
2 K is good pay for an undercard no-namer.
He wouldn’t get any more than that anywhere else.
Frank Mir packed 30+ pounds of solid muscle onto his body in five months. Why hasn't anyone called him out for steroid use? Is it because he never wrestled for Vince McMahon? I give Mir credit for his taste in strippers/wives, not his fighting skills or his personality.
That's now how business works
Just because your a make more money it doesn’t mean you pay all your employees more than the competition does.
At the higher end perhaps, but you don’t see Apple paying low end secretaries 70,000 a year because they’re doing welll.
Shogun lost a close decision! Everyone get crazy!
Again.
He’s signed to Dream – Dream payed his salary so he didn’t get heavily taxed in the US
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Dec 22, 2009 12:58 AM EST up reply actions
Nakamura probably made close to 3-5K when Dream paid him
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Dec 22, 2009 12:59 AM EST up reply actions
THX
For the clarification I knew that didn’t make any sense. I would never ever believe that a fighter would take that, nor that SF could sleep at night knowing they paid that. Glad someone knew the reasoning.
by daniel worby on Dec 22, 2009 9:40 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
This no win bonus stuff is bush league
Give the guys some incentive to win. What difference does it make financially for these guys to do well?
Frank Mir packed 30+ pounds of solid muscle onto his body in five months. Why hasn't anyone called him out for steroid use? Is it because he never wrestled for Vince McMahon? I give Mir credit for his taste in strippers/wives, not his fighting skills or his personality.
LOL
Are you cyber-stalking me Dave? jk. I’ll look.
Frank Mir packed 30+ pounds of solid muscle onto his body in five months. Why hasn't anyone called him out for steroid use? Is it because he never wrestled for Vince McMahon? I give Mir credit for his taste in strippers/wives, not his fighting skills or his personality.
Agreed
SF need to give bonuses, that’s one thing that the UFC are much better than them at. It particularly gives an incentive to the lesser names and helps them make their money.
"If you’re a fight fan, I don’t know how you don’t think that that card is a great card…." Dana White on UFC 108
20%: Percentage of MMAManiacs buying UFC 108 (I guess the other 80% aren't "real fight fans" according to Dana)
Its the type of contract they sign
Smith is always an attraction cause he has great fights but he really an underdog in most fights. Its smarter for him to sign at 55K to show then sign at 30 to show and 30 to win.
None of those include any “backstage bonuses” which Strikeforce may or may not do.
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Dec 22, 2009 1:00 AM EST up reply actions
nope
Called the commission. It’s $200. Would love to know the story behind that.
It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail.
by Jesse Holland on Dec 21, 2009 2:54 PM EST up reply actions
you have any contacts
who could maybe shed some light?
Every night i would pray to God for a new bike, then i realized God does not work that way, so i stole one and asked him to forgive me
Maybe he got all you can eat at the concession stands after his fight
That shit aint cheap at any event.
@fjbar75 on twitter...formerly El Mexicutioner
Seriously none of you know about this?
I’ll post it again. Foreign fighters signed to other promotions( Daisuke Nakamura – Dream) don’t get payed much at all by the promotion through the athletic commission. Strikeforce payed Dream for the right to use him on their show. Dream will pay Nakamura themselves out of that money when he gets back to Japan and he doesn’t get taxed 50% of it by the US government as a foreigner working in the US.
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Dec 22, 2009 1:02 AM EST up reply actions
I'm not sure how the showtime deal works but
it sounds like they may have lost their ass on this event. But yeah be happy these guys are overpaid.
Don't eat yellow snow.
by BNF on Dec 21, 2009 2:27 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Those 200 dollars should have been Mo's salary
by Lester The Pimp on Dec 21, 2009 2:29 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
So Whitehead deserved $30k then?
"If you’re a fight fan, I don’t know how you don’t think that that card is a great card…." Dana White on UFC 108
20%: Percentage of MMAManiacs buying UFC 108 (I guess the other 80% aren't "real fight fans" according to Dana)
i must have missed it
Which fight won fight of the night?
And ko?
I’m guessing the lindland choke got sotn.
by Phenomenal Angel on Dec 21, 2009 2:38 PM EST via mobile reply actions
strikeforce doesn't do bonuses...
If i remember right.
by NNR (formerly NameNotRequired) on Dec 21, 2009 2:46 PM EST up reply actions
thats wierd
I could have sworn, fedor and rogers won fotn last sf event.
That sucks but the championship bout should receive a bonus imo.
by Phenomenal Angel on Dec 21, 2009 7:33 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I honestly don't know if SF does backstage bonuses
But Coker is generally loved by the guys in his promotion. He probably made it worth their while.
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Dec 22, 2009 1:04 AM EST up reply actions
not sure
your spot on with the lindland getting choked dunno about the rest
Every night i would pray to God for a new bike, then i realized God does not work that way, so i stole one and asked him to forgive me
lol
he better hopes he gets deported, as $200 aint no where near enough pennies to get a plane ticket back to japan
Every night i would pray to God for a new bike, then i realized God does not work that way, so i stole one and asked him to forgive me
yes, that is true. he didn't do this for $200. hell, i wouldn't step in there for $200.
.
by Conan the Barbarian on Dec 21, 2009 5:32 PM EST up reply actions
that makes sense
so that $200 could be to cover his expenses etc
Every night i would pray to God for a new bike, then i realized God does not work that way, so i stole one and asked him to forgive me
No
Just something has to be reported to athletic commission. Its a tax loophole because foreign workers earning money in the US on a VISA pay RIDICULOUS taxes.
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Dec 22, 2009 1:05 AM EST up reply actions
FINALLY
LOL I seriously thought nobody knew this.
Daisuke probably made about 5 K when he got back to Japan.
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Dec 22, 2009 1:05 AM EST up reply actions
Nice payday for Cung Le
And Le’s latest(?) movie Pandorum was actually a pretty good one. I watched the Strikeforce show today and the movie right after it without knowing Le was in it. It was fun to see Le throw the same kicks against an alien monster.
I CANT BELEIVE HE ONLY GOT $200???
Just kidding itburnswhenipee. But why no win bonus? And why no elbows on the ground?
by DrewMoney$$$ on Dec 22, 2009 2:13 AM EST via mobile reply actions
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