Russia's Vladimir Putin pays Strikeforce veteran $150k for getting brutalized by Bellator's Alexander Shlemenko in Sochi

In the old days, fighters had to settle for a year's supply of Turtle Wax.

But for longtime mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran Anthony Ruiz, who has competed for World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) as well as Strikeforce, getting brutalized in the main event of League S-70, which took place back on Aug. 11, 2012 inside Plotforma Club in Sochi, Russia, earned him a fairly sizable payday.

To the tune of $150,000.

That's according to a report from veteran MMA reporter Josh Gross (via Bleacher Report), who reveals "A-Train" was compensated for having his nose shattered during a three-round beat down at the hands of Bellator champion Alexander Shlemenko.

Immediately after the fight, with the tone of one friend telling another they have food stuck between their teeth, the Russian president offered this advice in English.

Said Putin: "You need to fix your nose."

Two weeks after returning home, mostly recovered by then, Ruiz's phone rang. The voice on the other end spoke English, although it was obvious this was an intermediary for a Russian party who could be overheard in the background.

Then he was asked for a SWIFT code-the standard means of transferring money between banks, especially internationally.

Ruiz didn't have a clue. He visited his bank to inquire why anyone would want to know such a thing.

Two days later, after deciding to play along, $50,000 was wired into his account from the Russian Federation.

"I couldn't believe it," he recalled. "Then the next day, boom, another $50,000."

For all Ruiz knew, a third wire transfer, also to the tune of $50,000, represented the number of times Shlemenko buried him in Sochi.

Read the full story here.

Since his Russian payday, Ruiz (32-18) has gone 3-1 and is fresh off a technical knockout victory over over Owen Rubio at The Warriors Cage (TWC) 19: "Blackout" event back on Jan. 25, 2014, inside Eagle Mountain Casino on Porterville, California.

He may not be a big star in UFC, he just gets paid that way.