Strikeforce salaries: Josh Barnett leads payouts with $200,000 from Showtime event

Strikeforce fighter payouts for those who competed at the "Barnett vs. Cormier" event this past Saturday night (May 19, 2012), which aired on the Showtime network from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., were released earlier today by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).

Leading the fiscal charge was mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran Josh Barnett, who cleaned nearly a quarter-milliion greenbacks ($200,000) for advancing to the finals of the promotion's heavyweight grand prix. However, the "War Master" didn't get the full job done, losing to tournament replacement Daniel Cormier -- who earned just half of Barnett's salary ($100,00) -- via clear-cut unanimous decision.

Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez wasn't far behind, taking home a second-best $175,00 for earning a split decision nod over Josh Thomson ($90,000) after 25 minutes of action in their defining trilogy match.

That's not all.

Check out the complete list of Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Cormier" salaries and payouts after the jump:

Daniel Cormier -- $100,000 ($50,000 to show, $50,000 to win)
Josh Barnett -- $200,000
Cormier defeated Barnett via unanimous decision

Gilbert Melendez -- $175,000
Josh Thomson -- $90,000
Melendez defeated Thomson via split decision

Rafael Cavalcante -- $66,000 ($33,000 to show, $33,000 to win)
Mike Kyle -- $25,000
Cavalcante defeated Kyle via submission (guillotine) in round one

Lenny Christopher Spang -- $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win)
Nah-Shon Burrell -- $7,000
Spang defeated Burrell via knockout in round one

Isaac Vallie-Flagg -- $6,000 ($3,000 to show, $3,000 to win)
Gesias Cavalcante -- $18,000
Vallie-Flagg defeated Cavalcante via split decision

Carlos Inocente -- $4,000 ($2,000 to show, $2,000 to win)
Virgil Zwicker -- $3,000
Inocente defeated Zwicker via unanimous decision

Gian Villante -- $24,000 ($12,000 to show, $12,000 to win)
Derrick Mehman -- $3,000
Villante defeated Mehmen via unanimous decision

Quinn Mulhern -- $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win)
Yuri Villefort -- $2,500
Mulhern defeated Villefort via split decision

Bobby Green -- $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win)
James Terry -- $9,000
Green defeated Terry via split decision

The total disclosed payroll for Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Cormier" was $768,500. The reported gross gate for the event was $226,005. Final ticket sales figures are still pending.

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.

For complete Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Cormier" results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here.