MMA

[jamesmcdonnell]

Just a quick question to those here, I'm writing a piece following attending a Mixed martial arts show for the first time, and wondered.....

How many of you have attended an MMA show before?

What does anyone think about MMA fights as opposed to boxing?

Would anyone here consider attending one?

[Old bones Ian]

I've been to one show, as i got a free ticket, otherwise i wouldn't pay to have gone.
I thought it was pretty boring to be honest, lots of wrestling and holds. The show was attended by what seemed to be alot of bouncer types and meatheads. It wasn't a big show , so that may not have been your average type of crowd.
Compared to a boxing show, it seemed to be a poor relation, i'm not sure what medical requirements are there if one of the guys got injured, certainly didn't seem as well run in the official sense of things.
I wouldn't go to another show in a rush.

[KOJOE90]

MMA just doesn't interest me to be honest.

[Smit]

Watch some MMA stuff on the TV but never been to a show...

I enjoy boxing more, seems to be more method to the madness

Would definitely like to go to a show.

[E]

Just a quick question to those here, I'm writing a piece following attending a Mixed martial arts show for the first time, and wondered.....

How many of you have attended an MMA show before?

What does anyone think about MMA fights as opposed to boxing?

Would anyone here consider attending one?

I went to one MMA show. Knew a guy fighting. It can be brutal, exciting... but the truth is there is no sport better than an exciting boxing match. A back and forth fight. MMA is more like a bare fight, boxing is more like a sport. Most importantly, boxing has the history......

[lvlarc]

I watched a few UFC events, the one's with Coutoure and Liddell?

Not my thing but I reckon if I gave it a chance and learned more about the fighters I could like it. Wont beat boxing though

[tonyevs]

Its still in its infancy compared to boxing.

The American shows shown on TV are quite boring most of the time due to the wrestling...half a dozen punches thrown and the rest of the fight grappling like a pair of drunks on a Friday night

But I have caught a couple of the european MMA fights which are a whole different ball game...real brutal

I saw Bob Sapp getting an absolute pounding...it was the roughest thing I have ever witnessed being allowed as a sport.

The more boxing gets turned into a circus the more people will look to a purer form of fighting....

[JC]

Not really a fan but I understand in MMA all the top fighters actually fight eachother which, as we all, know nolonger happens in boxing that is a definate upside.

[Lefthookhappy19]

Ive been a fan for about 6 years now. Its actually a lot less dangerous than Boxing contrary (sp?) to popular belief. Not that that matters to me as I watch both and also K-1. I think a lot of new people to the sport see a guy get mounted on the ground, take some shots and think its super brutal. Its not really though, the shots aren't really delivered with great force. Try getting on your knee's and throwing punches...

The thing with it is...is that the best fighters in the top organisations are great too watch. But if you watch a smaller show the dudes won't really have the skills to make the fights exciting. They usually won't be able to finish, so it can be slow and boring to watch. Their is a limited talent pool in smaller organisations. The skill level is rising rapidly though as its still a young sport and always getting more popular.

You really have to make an effort to get into the sport and know the top fighters and the techniques, then it becomes really interesting. Just this past weekend on Bravo was UFC 63. The main event was a highly anticipated rematch between Matt Hughes (a freestyle wrestler) and BJ Penn (striker/Brazillian Jui Jitsu black belt). BJ Penn having beat the champ Hughes a few years ago and then vacated the belt in a contract dispute. It was a thriller with Hughes saved by the bell in the 2nd round as he was caught in a triangle choke. Hughes won it in the 3rd by TKO as BJ gassed out and got dominated.

A good way to get into the sport is to watch fan made highlight videos. Get them on Youtube and google video, or visit any number of MMA forums.

Just don't feel threatened by the sport. I love both boxing and MMA, just different styles of fighting. Theirs too many dickheads going about getting all defensive and shit when one of the sports is mentioned.

[Lefthookhappy19]

Its still in its infancy compared to boxing.

The American shows shown on TV are quite boring most of the time due to the wrestling...half a dozen punches thrown and the rest of the fight grappling like a pair of drunks on a Friday night

But I have caught a couple of the european MMA fights which are a whole different ball game...real brutal

I saw Bob Sapp getting an absolute pounding...it was the roughest thing I have ever witnessed being allowed as a sport.

The more boxing gets turned into a circus the more people will look to a purer form of fighting....

Haha....yeah the Sapp vs Fujita fight. Actually, that is like a rare case the way he took the "soccer kicks" as they are called. That WAS brutal, but heh.....Bob didn't get knocked cold....Matt Macklin at the weekend did....people just aren't used to seeing kicks to a downed opponent. Only two organisations in Japan allow that anyway.

Their has only ever been one death in MMA and that was years ago at an underground Russian show. Back then it was bareknuckle and guys came in off the street to fight.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Interesting comments, I'll be putting a piece up on britishboxing.net. I think some people need to go check these shows out for themselves. I went to a big show and was quite blown away by the promotion, if not all of the fights.

[jamesmcdonnell]

It may look like that, but you have to remember that these guys are using techniques gathered from many different martial arts, and have to train in wrestling, locks, throws, as well as kicks and traditional stand up martial arts like boxing.

From what I've seen, it's not really sickening. If someone goes to ground and is getting pounded, it tends to get stopped very quickly indeed. It's not as elegant to watch as boxing at it's best, and the fact that the techniques used are primarily designed for efficiency rather than spectacle, means that they are not as pretty on the eye.

However, the appeal is I think slightly different. Whereas someone might say that Floyd Mayweather is the best P4P boxer in the world, the top men in MMA can probably claim rightly they are the best fighters in the world full stop. As they have picked the best from the various martial disciplines to create the most effective fighting styles, it would be hard to argue otherwise. The main argument at the moment however, with so many MMA organisations, is just who the top men are, as far as I can tell with my limited knowledge.

[jamesmcdonnell]

From my understanding though Terrence. Nowadays most people are learning a hybrid martial art to compete in MMA. The days when it was a Karate man against a Judo guy are long gone.

However, in doing so, surely you could argue that what they are really doing over time is creating a new martial art? As MMA evolves, I think what we will see is a switch away from grappling and floor work to encourage more stand up fighting, much in the same was as boxing evolved from the old fashioned prize rules which allowed for grappling throws and choke holds.

In making the sport more attractive, it is feasible that MMA will dilute itself to the extent that it becomes more and more like the comparatively sanitised boxing.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Yes, not so much on a technical level, as I don't really have the understanding. I'm trying to work out what the appeal is to fans, and seeing whether or not it is a serious threat to boxing in terms of it's market share and future demographics.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Yeah James, not sure many would call it a Martial Art though if it does develop along those lines, are the different organisatinos under a unified criteria? I am unsure about MMA, it is paying for drug testing itsn't it? That means it is not WWE style Sports Entertainment at the very least.

A mate of mine swears by it and claims it is a genuine MA. I cannot see it though. He reckons there is a strong Greco-Roman element to it but the leg sweeps would suggest otherwise.

The fights I have seen are mid to long range kicking with close-in work resulting in grappling.

My dad loves it. Look forward to the write-up, is it comparing boxing and MMA?

there was a recent story about a UFC fighter Kimo who failed a drugs test and was subsequently banned, though he appeared on the show I was at the other night.

At present the bodies involved appear to be entirely self regulating, although in America, they would fall under the juristiction of the local athletic commission I would have thought.

there seem to be literally dozens of organisations at present, though as far as I can see only a few of those are major players.

[TerribleTerry]

Yeah James, not sure many would call it a Martial Art though if it does develop along those lines, are the different organisatinos under a unified criteria? I am unsure about MMA, it is paying for drug testing itsn't it? That means it is not WWE style Sports Entertainment at the very least.

A mate of mine swears by it and claims it is a genuine MA. I cannot see it though. He reckons there is a strong Greco-Roman element to it but the leg sweeps would suggest otherwise.

The fights I have seen are mid to long range kicking with close-in work resulting in grappling.

My dad loves it. Look forward to the write-up, is it comparing boxing and MMA?

there was a recent story about a UFC fighter Kimo who failed a drugs test and was subsequently banned, though he appeared on the show I was at the other night.

At present the bodies involved appear to be entirely self regulating, although in America, they would fall under the juristiction of the local athletic commission I would have thought.

there seem to be literally dozens of organisations at present, though as far as I can see only a few of those are major players.

Drug testing is mandatory for UFC events, which take place under the auspicies of the Nevada State Athletic Comitition in Vegas and therefore fighters are subject to randomn testing.

The most high profile recent example of a failure was The American Physco Stephan Bonnar (Of TUF1 fame) who flunked the test after his rematch with Forest Griffin (though there is some suggestion he may have been utilising them to recover from an injury, as oppoosed to gaining an unfair advantage (a la James Toney).

Pride, based in Japan, and the UFC's main global rival, interestingly enough dont test for steriods.

Other well knwo UFC fighters who have failed a test include current heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia and former UFC, now top Pride figgter Josh 'Baby Faced Assassin Barnett (wonder where he got that nickname from.

[TerribleTerry]

In terms of organisations the UFC is the household market leading brand in the States, with Pride Fighting Championship competing with it on an even footing internationally.

there is also the kickboxing company K1 who put on mixed martial arts events as well.

In the UK Cage Rage puts on some excellent shows and have imported high class combatants such as Anderson ‘Spider’ Silva, Ninja Rua and Vitor Belfort – all names to make domestic MMA fans salivate.

In the USA World Fighting Alliance have some good fighters shows/ as well as the newly formed IFL, which looks to market MMA with a team element to it.

All in all the sport is growing at an exponential rate, and whilst I don’t think it will usurp boxing anytime soon as the combat sport of choice, it will certainly take some of boxing’s potential younger audience.

It appeals to the MTV generation and MMA schools are popping up (with grossly inflated work out costs) across the length and breath of the US and UK.

The recent success of Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping in the Ultimate Fighter TV show is only going to further solidify MMA’s position in the UK and long term UFC plans to host up to six shows annually in the UK should certainly be sounding warning bells in the offices of allegedly and all the other established boxing supremos.

After all, if the UFC and Cage Rage can put on events which attract the fight fans money, it can only impact negatively long term on the live gate at boxing matches.

I for one will be attending my first UFC at the MGM Grand in Vegas on 30th Dec this year, and whilst I had always hoped that my first trip to Vegas would coincide with a big boxing match, it shows the development of the UFC in recent years that I am more then happy to accept this event as an adequate substitute.

[TerribleTerry]

There is some skill in MMA but the martial arts disciplines are bastardised. A guy who does Karate fighting under unified rules could be at a disadvantage. These guys are often highly skilled but the combat situation is false.

It is similar to giving a golfer a tennis racquet and telling him they are playing under croquet rules

Terence you need to get up to speed with MMA mate - dump your collection of UFC 1 - 5 and look at the cross trained athletes who compete in the modern game.

All are versed to some extent in boxing, thai boxing, jui jitsu and wrestling (amongst other things)

Fighters such as George St Pierre, Rich Franklin and the like can no longer be categorised by single fighting styles, but are now looked upon as 'mixed martial artists'.

[jamesmcdonnell]

In terms of organisations the UFC is the household market leading brand in the States, with Pride Fighting Championship competing with it on an even footing internationally.

there is also the kickboxing company K1 who put on mixed martial arts events as well.

In the UK Cage Rage puts on some excellent shows and have imported high class combatants such as Anderson ‘Spider’ Silva, Ninja Rua and Vitor Belfort – all names to make domestic MMA fans salivate.

In the USA World Fighting Alliance have some good fighters shows/ as well as the newly formed IFL, which looks to market MMA with a team element to it.

All in all the sport is growing at an exponential rate, and whilst I don’t think it will usurp boxing anytime soon as the combat sport of choice, it will certainly take some of boxing’s potential younger audience.

It appeals to the MTV generation and MMA schools are popping up (with grossly inflated work out costs) across the length and breath of the US and UK.

The recent success of Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping in the Ultimate Fighter TV show is only going to further solidify MMA’s position in the UK and long term UFC plans to host up to six shows annually in the UK should certainly be sounding warning bells in the offices of allegedly allegedly and all the other established boxing supremos.

After all, if the UFC and Cage Rage can put on events which attract the fight fans money, it can only impact negatively long term on the live gate at boxing matches.

I for one will be attending my first UFC at the MGM Grand in Vegas on 30th Dec this year, and whilst I had always hoped that my first trip to Vegas would coincide with a big boxing match, it shows the development of the UFC in recent years that I am more then happy to accept this event as an adequate substitute.

Yes, the scale of the cage rage show really took my by surprise. On further investigation I realise too that they have some serious big names coming to their shows, and looking around at a virtually full Wembley Arena, it is clear to me that boxing had better start looking over it's shoulder at what this upstart sport is doing, before it is too late.

the very fact that they are staging an event at the MGM grand, if nothing else should sound the alarm bells.

[jamesmcdonnell]

There is some skill in MMA but the martial arts disciplines are bastardised. A guy who does Karate fighting under unified rules could be at a disadvantage. These guys are often highly skilled but the combat situation is false.

It is similar to giving a golfer a tennis racquet and telling him they are playing under croquet rules

Terence you need to get up to speed with MMA mate - dump your collection of UFC 1 - 5 and look at the cross trained athletes who compete in the modern game.

All are versed to some extent in boxing, thai boxing, jui jitsu and wrestling (amongst other things)

Fighters such as George St Pierre, Rich Franklin and the like can no longer be categorised by single fighting styles, but are now looked upon as 'mixed martial artists'.

My dads vids you mean

I had read so mewhere the Ju-Jitsu rules and the rules of UFC seemed completely different so I had wondered how the Ju-Jitsu expert can fight fairly under the unified rules.

I guess MMA will become taught yet wonder if it will become established as a singular fighting style.

It is not my thing really. I left Muay Thai because I do not like the kicking aspect (there was a lot to be said for learning how to corectly elbow though). For me, right or wrong, it seems to reduce some of the action, I am not sure how or why but it is a preferance thing.

I love boxing and rarely watch other combat sports, I like the odd bit of Judo or stuff where people get thrown about. Not this drop and maul stuff, is that UFC Terry? There seemed to be a lot of fat blokes falling on the floor and then having a cuddle.

Stand up fighting seems to be becoming more popular, but a fighter needs to have some floorwork as well. I think this trend started with one of the gracies getting battered senseless by someone in UFC who just punched and kicked the shit out of them. Good boxing skills (thought with a non traditional punching method) seem to be becoming more of a mainstay in MMA from what I can tell.

[csmith]

i"ve been a boxing fan for 20 or so years,boxed as an amateur etc,been into mma for 6 or 7 years now and over the last few years i actually prefer mma to boxing.the main reason being that mma promoters aren"t afraid to match their fighters tough.the top contenders regularly fight each other rather than avoid each other as in boxing.
the moore-macklin fight was what boxing should be about,fights to get the public interested and excited.the cage rage mma show last weekend had 5 or 6 even -money matches and was definately value for money.

[TerribleTerry]

Boxing is my bag too Terence, although I came to it through kickboxing myself, so I probably have a greater appreciation for kicking someone in the head with my shin then the average boxing fan I suppose.

To my mind no other fighting sport comes close to boxing in terms of skill level, artistry and of course proud long-standing history.

‘Fat guys having a cuddle’ is once again an outdated misnomer for the most part. At the elite/professional end these guys are full time athletes with regimes on par with pro fighters. Check out Rich Franklin’s weight training snippet on youtube.com and you will see a finely tuned athlete at the top of his game.

In terms of stand up training, Diego ‘Nightmare’ Sanchez, for example, trains with one time ‘cant miss’ boxing prospect Panchito Bojado for his stand up. There is no jumping around in white suits, pretending to hit each other; these guys throw down on a daily basis.

Coupled to that is the fact that fighters such as Fernando Vargas and Mike Tyson have expressed admiration for the sport and its contestants, it has come a long way from the dark days of mullets and beer belliies.

Granted there are a lot of bald headed, steroid fuelled doormen types at MMA shows, but equally there are also a lot of bum fluff moustachioed, lacoste tracksuit wearing gypsies types at boxing shows. You pays your money you takes your choice.

For me boxing will always be my No1 but I have an appreciation for MMA, based largely on the competitive matches and lack of padding to fighters records.

The best fight the best in MMA.

There are very definite lessons boxing could learn from that.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Ah you were at cage rage then? I was there also.

What was notable was that the favourites lost in half of the bouts, as far as I could tell who the favourites were.

However, what we need to bear in mind is that as yet, there are few big stars in MMA, and I am pretty confident that there is nobody of a standing anywhere in the sport to command the kind of purses that the likes of Mayweather, DeLaHoya, Hatton, Gatti etc are earning.

Most of the guys even at a big show are unlikely to be asking for 250,000 for turning up, and from what I was told most of them also have other jobs, and are not full time fighters.

I guess the biggest stars so far are those in the pride (which I know nothing about) shows, and UFC, but even those surely aren't on the mega paydays the top boxers are.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the sport gets big enough that PPV money is commonplace, and fighters become aware of their drawing power and start asking for more money.

Also worth noting is that each of the organisations is operating as both a sanctioning body and promoter at the same time. Pride has it's own world champions, as does UFC as does Cage Rage. As far as I am aware, (someone can correct me on this) there are few if any examples of a fighter fighting for more than one organisation at a time. You either fight for one or the other if you want to win their belt, rather like the world of wrestling with it's rival organisations.

Having a look through sherdog, which is the best site I've come across thus far, it looks like there are LOADS of organisations out there with their own titles, often these are individual promoters who also have a gym and train fighters.

It looks like already though we have three major organisations in UFC, Pride and Cage Rage, three brands or sanctioning bodies if you like. As yet there is no unification between these three and therefore no unified champions.

[TerribleTerry]

Pay is one area where MMA is a MILLION miles behind boxing.

What you will notice, however is that UFC makes litterally millions more then it pays out in purses wages.

In MMA the fighters usually compete on a split basis ie $5000 for fighting with a $5000 win bonus. You get $10,000 if you win but only $5,000 if you lose

If you want some stats read on:

Fighter Salaries

Here is a full listing of each fighter's pay on every UFC event that has taken place so far in 2006, along with the disclosed fighter payroll for all of the fighters combined on each event, as well as the known event revenue for each show.

(For more information on the known event revenue, including the pay-per-view buyrate numbers and paid attendance figures that enabled us to calculate the statistics below, please check out our previous articles on the UFC's PPV revenue and live gate totals.)


UFC Ultimate Fight Night 3
Event took place on January 16, 2006 and aired on Spike TV
-Tim Sylvia: $80,000 (defeated Assuerio Silva in main event)
-Stephan Bonnar: $24,000 (defeated James Irvin)
-Jason Von Flue: $10,000 (defeated Alex Karalexis)
-Josh Burkman: $10,000 (defeated Drew Fickett)
-Chris Leben: $10,000 (defeated Jorge Rivera)
-Duane Ludwig: $8,000 (defeated Jonathan Goulet)
-Assuerio Silva: $8,000 (lost to Tim Sylvia in main event)
-Spencer Fisher: $8,000 (defeated Aaron Riley)
-Drew Fickett: $6,000 (lost to Josh Burkman)
-James Irvin: $5,000 (lost to Stephan Bonnar)
-Jorge Rivera: $5,000 (lost to Chris Leben)
-Alex Karalexis: $3,000 (lost to Jason Von Flue)
-Aaron Riley: $3,000 (lost to Spencer Fisher)
-Jonathan Goulet: $3,000 (lost to Duane Ludwig)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $183,000
Known Event Revenue: $368,600 (includes live gate of $144,600 and TV ad revenue of $224,000)


UFC 57
Event took place on February 4, 2006 and aired on PPV
-Chuck Liddell: $250,000 (defeated Randy Couture in main event)
-Randy Couture: $225,000 (lost to Chuck Liddell in main event)
-Renato "Babalu" Sobral: $32,000 (defeated Mike Van Arsdale)
-Frank Mir: $26,000 (lost to Marcio Cruz)
-Paul Buentello: $22,000 (beat Gilbert Aldana)
-Joe Riggs: $20,000 (defeated Nick Diaz)
-Mike Van Arsdale: $16,000 (lost to Renato Sobral)
-Keith Jardine: $10,000 (defeated Mike Whitehead)
-Nick Diaz: $10,000 (lost to Joe Riggs)
-Alessio Sakara: $10,000 (defeated Elvis Sinosic)
-Brandon Vera: $10,000 (defeated Justin Eilers)
-Marcio Cruz: $8,000 (defeated Frank Mir)
-Elvis Sinosic: $6,000 (lost to Alessio Sakara)
-Jeff Monson: $6,000 (defeated Branden Lee Hinkle)
-Mike Whitehead: $5,000 (lost to Keith Jardine)
-Justin Eilers: $5,000 (lost to Brandon Vera)
-Branden Lee Hinkle: $4,000 (lost to Jeff Monson)
-Gilbert Aldana: $2,000 (lost to Paul Buentello)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $667,000
Known Event Revenue: $19.36 million to $19.76 million (includes PPV revenue of $15.98 million to $16.38 million; plus live gate of $3,382,400)


UFC 58
Event took place on March 4, 2006 and aired on PPV
-Georges St. Pierre: $48,000 (defeated BJ Penn)
-Rich Franklin: $32,000 (defeated David Loiseau in main event)
-Nathan Marquardt: $30,000 (defeated Joe Doerksen)
-BJ Penn: $25,000 (lost to Georges St. Pierre)
-Tom Murphy: $10,000 (defeated Icho Larenas)
-Mike Swick: $10,000 (defeated Steve Vigneault)
-David Loiseau: $9,000 (lost to Rich Franklin in main event)
-Spencer Fisher: $8,000 (lost to Sam Stout)
-Yves Edwards: $8,000 (lost to Mark Hominick)
-Rob Macdonald: $5,000 (lost to Jason Lambert)
-Joe Doerksen: $5,000 (lost to Nathan Marquardt)
-Jason Lambert: $4,000 (defeated Jason Macdonald)
-Mark Hominick: $4,000 (defeated Yves Edwards)
-Sam Stout: $4,000 (defeated Spencer Fisher)
-Icho Larenas: $3,000 (lost to Tom Murphy)
-Steve Vigneault: $2,000 (lost to Mike Swick)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $207,000
Known Event Revenue: $11.90 million to $12.25 million (includes PPV revenue of $10.14 million to $10.49 million; plus live gate of $1,758,450)


UFC Ultimate Fight Night 4
Event took place on April 6, 2006 and aired on Spike TV
-Stephan Bonnar: $24,000 (defeated Keith Jardine in main event)
-Luke Cummo: $24,000 (defeated Jason Von Flue)
-Rashad Evans: $24,000 (defeated Sam Hoger)
-Josh Koscheck: $14,000 (defeated Ansar Chalangov)
-Chris Leben: $14,000 (defeated Luigi Fioravanti)
-Joe Stevenson: $12,000 (lost to Josh Neer)
-Josh Neer: $8,000 (defeated Joe Stevenson)
-Jon Fitch: $8,000 (defeated Josh Burkman)
-Sam Hoger: $7,000 (lost to Rashad Evans)
-Dan Christison: $6,000 (defeated Brad Imes)
-Brad Imes: $6,000 (lost to Dan Christison)
-Chael Sonnen: $6,000 (defeated Trevor Prangley)
-Trevor Prangley: $6,000 (lost to Chael Sonnen)
-Jason Von Flue: $5,000 (lost to Luke Cummo)
-Luigi Fioravanti: $5,000 (lost to Chris Leben)
-Keith Jardine: $5,000 (lost to Stephan Bonnar in main event)
-Josh Burkman: $5,000 (lost to Jon Fitch)
-Ansar Chalangov: $2,000 (lost to Josh Koscheck)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $181,000
Known Event Revenue: $423,150 (includes live gate of $199,150 and TV ad revenue of $224,000)


UFC 59
Event took place on April 15, 2006 and aired on PPV
-Tito Ortiz: $200,000 (defeated Forrest Griffin in co-main event)
-Andrei Arlovski: $90,000 (lost to Tim Sylvia in co-main event)
-Tim Sylvia: $90,000 (defeated Andrei Arlovski in co-main event)
-Evan Tanner: $40,000 (defeated Justin Levens)
-Karo Parisyan: $16,000 (defeated Nick Thompson)
-Sean Sherk: $16,000 (defeated Nick Diaz)
-Forrest Griffin: $16,000 (lost to Tito Ortiz in co-main event)
-David Terrell: $12,000 (defeated Scott Smith)
-Nick Diaz: $10,000 (lost to Sean Sherk)
-Jeff Monson: $10,000 (defeated Marcio Cruz)
-Jason Lambert: $8,000 (defeated Terry Martin)
-Thiago Alves: $8,000 (defeated Derrick Noble)
-Justin Levens: $5,000 (lost to Evan Tanner)
-Nick Thompson: $5,000 (lost to Karo Parisyan)
-Marcio Cruz: $5,000 (lost to Jeff Monson)
-Derrick Noble: $3,000 (lost to Thiago Alves)
-Scott Smith: $3,000 (lost to David Terrell)
-Terry Martin: $2,000 (lost to Jason Lambert)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $539,000
Known Event Revenue: $18.77 million to $19.57 million (includes PPV revenue of $16.58 million to $17.38 million; plus live gate of $2,191,450)


UFC 60 Fighter Salaries
Event took place on May 27, 2006 and aired on PPV
-Royce Gracie: $400,000 (lost to Matt Hughes in main event)
-Matt Hughes: $110,000 (defeated Royce Gracie in main event)
-Jeremy Horn: $70,000 (defeated Chael Sonnen)
-Brandon Vera: $32,000 (defeated Assuerio Silva)
-Diego Sanchez: $24,000 (defeated John Alessio)
-Mike Swick: $14,000 (defeated Joe Riggs)
-Spencer Fisher: $14,000 (defeated Matt Wiman)
-Joe Riggs: $12,000 (lost to Mike Swick)
-Gabriel Gonzaga: $10,000 (defeated Fabiano Scherner)
-Melvin Guillard: $10,000 (defeated Rick Davis)
-Alessio Sakara: $10,000 (lost to Dean Lister)
-Dean Lister: $10,000 (defeated Alessio Sakara)
-Assuerio Silva: $8,000 (lost to Brandon Vera)
-Chael Sonnen: $5,000 (lost to Jeremy Horn)
-Fabiano Scherner: $3,000 (lost to Gabriel Gonzaga)
-Matt Wiman: $3,000 (lost to Spencer Fisher)
-John Alessio: $3,000 (lost to Diego Sanchez)
-Rick Davis: $2,000 (lost to Melvin Guillard)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $740,000
Known Event Revenue: $26.87 million (includes PPV revenue of $23.97 million; plus live gate of $2,900,090)

UFC 60 Note: The final PPV buyrate for UFC 60 is not yet available because smaller cable companies throughout the United States have not yet reported their PPV sales. Therefore, we are using the "absolute minimum" number for gross PPV revenue, based on the numbers that are known for UFC 60 (see the PPV article for more details). The final buyrate for the UFC 60 PPV will be higher once all of the late buys from smaller cable companies throughout the U.S. have been counted.


UFC Ultimate Finale 3
Event took place on June 24, 2006 and aired on Spike TV
-Kenny Florian: $12,000 (defeated Sam Stout in main event)
-Michael Bisping: $10,000 (defeated Josh Haynes)
-Kendall Grove: $10,000 (defeated Ed Herman)
-Rory Singer: $10,000 (defeated Ross Pointon)
-Mike Nickels: $10,000 (defeated Wes Combs)
-Matt Hamill: $10,000 (defeated Jesse Forbes)
-Kalib Starnes: $10,000 (defeated Danny Abaddi)
-Keith Jardine: $10,000 (defeated Wilson Gouveia)
-Solomon Hutcherson: $5,000 (lost to Rory Singer)
-Josh Haynes: $5,000 (lost to Michael Bisping)
-Ed Herman: $5,000 (lost to Kendall Grove)
-Ross Pointon: $5,000 (lost to Rory Singer)
-Jesse Forbes: $5,000 (lost to Matt Hamill)
-Danny Abaddi: $5,000 (lost to Kalib Starnes)
-Luigi Fioravanti: $4,000 (defeated Solomon Hutcherson)
-Sam Stout: $4,000 (lost to Kenny Florian in main event)
-Wes Combs: $2,000 (lost to Mike Nickels)
-Wilson Gouveia: $2,000 (lost to Keith Jardine)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $124,000
Known Event Revenue: $589,214 (includes live gate of $253,214 and TV ad revenue of $336,000)


UFC Ultimate Fight Night 5
Event took place on June 28, 2006 and aired on Spike TV
-Anderson Silva: $36,000 (defeated Chris Leben in main event)
-Rashad Evans: $24,000 (defeated Stephan Bonnar)
-Stephan Bonnar: $16,000 (lost to Rashad Evans)
-Jon Fitch: $16,000 (defeated Thiago Alves)
-Josh Koscheck: $14,000 (defeated Dave Menne)
-Jason Lambert: $14,000 (defeated Branden Lee Hinkle)
-Luke Cummo: $12,000 (lost to Jonathan Goulet)
-Rob MacDonald: $10,000 (defeated Kristian Rothaermel)
-Mark Hominick: $8,000 (defeated Jorge Gurgel)
-Chris Leben: $7,000 (lost to Anderson Silva in main event)
-Thiago Alves: $6,000 (lost to Jon Fitch)
-Jonathan Goulet: $6,000 (defeated Luke Cummo)
-Kristian Rothaermel: $5,000 (lost to Rob MacDonald)
-Jorge Gurgel: $5,000 (lost to Mark Hominick)
-Justin Levens: $5,000 (lost to Jorge Santiago)
-Dave Menne: $5,000 (lost to Josh Koscheck)
-Branden Lee Hinkle: $4,000 (lost to Jason Lambert)
-Jorge Santiago: $4,000 (defeated Justin Levens)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $197,000
Known Event Revenue: $358,368 (includes live gate of $134,368 and TV ad revenue of $224,000)


UFC 61 Fighter Salaries
Event took place on July 8, 2006 and aired on PPV
-Tito Ortiz: $210,000 (defeated Ken Shamrock in co-main event)
-Tim Sylvia: $120,000 (defeated Andrei Arlovski in co-main event)
-Ken Shamrock: $100,000 (lost to Tito Ortiz in co-main event)
-Andrei Arlovski: $90,000 (lost to Tim Sylvia in co-main event)
-Frank Mir: $56,000 (defeated Dan Christison)
-Joe Stevenson: $24,000 (defeated Yves Edwards)
-Jeff Monson: $20,000 (defeated Anthony Perosh)
-Drew Fickett: $12,000 (defeated Kurt Pellegrino)
-Josh Burkman: $10,000 (defeated Josh Neer)
-Hermes Franca: $8,000 (defeated Joe Jordan)
-Yves Edwards: $8,000 (lost to Joe Stevenson)
-Josh Neer: $6,000 (lost to Josh Burkman)
-Cheick Kongo: $6,000 (defeated Gilbert Aldana)
-Dan Christison: $5,000 (lost to Frank Mir)
-Joe Jordan: $4,000 (lost to Hermes Franca)
-Anthony Perosh: $3,000 (lost to Jeff Monson)
-Gilbert Aldana: $2,000 (lost to Cheick Kongo)
-Kurt Pellegrino: $2,000 (lost to Drew Fickett)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $676,000
Known Event Revenue: Unknown (live gate figures not yet available; PPV sales figures not yet available)


As you can see most fighters are competing for absolute peanuts, though with all the money floating round the sport, I am sure this will change shortly..

[jamesmcdonnell]

Pay is one area where MMA is a MILLION miles behind boxing.

What you will notice, however is that UFC makes litterally millions more then it pays out in purses wages.

In MMA the fighters usually compete on a split basis ie $5000 for fighting with a $5000 win bonus. You get $10,000 if you win but only $5,000 if you lose

If you want some stats read on:

Fighter Salaries

Here is a full listing of each fighter's pay on every UFC event that has taken place so far in 2006, along with the disclosed fighter payroll for all of the fighters combined on each event, as well as the known event revenue for each show.

(For more information on the known event revenue, including the pay-per-view buyrate numbers and paid attendance figures that enabled us to calculate the statistics below, please check out our previous articles on the UFC's PPV revenue and live gate totals.)


UFC Ultimate Fight Night 3
Event took place on January 16, 2006 and aired on Spike TV
-Tim Sylvia: $80,000 (defeated Assuerio Silva in main event)
-Stephan Bonnar: $24,000 (defeated James Irvin)
-Jason Von Flue: $10,000 (defeated Alex Karalexis)
-Josh Burkman: $10,000 (defeated Drew Fickett)
-Chris Leben: $10,000 (defeated Jorge Rivera)
-Duane Ludwig: $8,000 (defeated Jonathan Goulet)
-Assuerio Silva: $8,000 (lost to Tim Sylvia in main event)
-Spencer Fisher: $8,000 (defeated Aaron Riley)
-Drew Fickett: $6,000 (lost to Josh Burkman)
-James Irvin: $5,000 (lost to Stephan Bonnar)
-Jorge Rivera: $5,000 (lost to Chris Leben)
-Alex Karalexis: $3,000 (lost to Jason Von Flue)
-Aaron Riley: $3,000 (lost to Spencer Fisher)
-Jonathan Goulet: $3,000 (lost to Duane Ludwig)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $183,000
Known Event Revenue: $368,600 (includes live gate of $144,600 and TV ad revenue of $224,000)


UFC 57
Event took place on February 4, 2006 and aired on PPV
-Chuck Liddell: $250,000 (defeated Randy Couture in main event)
-Randy Couture: $225,000 (lost to Chuck Liddell in main event)
-Renato "Babalu" Sobral: $32,000 (defeated Mike Van Arsdale)
-Frank Mir: $26,000 (lost to Marcio Cruz)
-Paul Buentello: $22,000 (beat Gilbert Aldana)
-Joe Riggs: $20,000 (defeated Nick Diaz)
-Mike Van Arsdale: $16,000 (lost to Renato Sobral)
-Keith Jardine: $10,000 (defeated Mike Whitehead)
-Nick Diaz: $10,000 (lost to Joe Riggs)
-Alessio Sakara: $10,000 (defeated Elvis Sinosic)
-Brandon Vera: $10,000 (defeated Justin Eilers)
-Marcio Cruz: $8,000 (defeated Frank Mir)
-Elvis Sinosic: $6,000 (lost to Alessio Sakara)
-Jeff Monson: $6,000 (defeated Branden Lee Hinkle)
-Mike Whitehead: $5,000 (lost to Keith Jardine)
-Justin Eilers: $5,000 (lost to Brandon Vera)
-Branden Lee Hinkle: $4,000 (lost to Jeff Monson)
-Gilbert Aldana: $2,000 (lost to Paul Buentello)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $667,000
Known Event Revenue: $19.36 million to $19.76 million (includes PPV revenue of $15.98 million to $16.38 million; plus live gate of $3,382,400)


UFC 58
Event took place on March 4, 2006 and aired on PPV
-Georges St. Pierre: $48,000 (defeated BJ Penn)
-Rich Franklin: $32,000 (defeated David Loiseau in main event)
-Nathan Marquardt: $30,000 (defeated Joe Doerksen)
-BJ Penn: $25,000 (lost to Georges St. Pierre)
-Tom Murphy: $10,000 (defeated Icho Larenas)
-Mike Swick: $10,000 (defeated Steve Vigneault)
-David Loiseau: $9,000 (lost to Rich Franklin in main event)
-Spencer Fisher: $8,000 (lost to Sam Stout)
-Yves Edwards: $8,000 (lost to Mark Hominick)
-Rob Macdonald: $5,000 (lost to Jason Lambert)
-Joe Doerksen: $5,000 (lost to Nathan Marquardt)
-Jason Lambert: $4,000 (defeated Jason Macdonald)
-Mark Hominick: $4,000 (defeated Yves Edwards)
-Sam Stout: $4,000 (defeated Spencer Fisher)
-Icho Larenas: $3,000 (lost to Tom Murphy)
-Steve Vigneault: $2,000 (lost to Mike Swick)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $207,000
Known Event Revenue: $11.90 million to $12.25 million (includes PPV revenue of $10.14 million to $10.49 million; plus live gate of $1,758,450)


UFC Ultimate Fight Night 4
Event took place on April 6, 2006 and aired on Spike TV
-Stephan Bonnar: $24,000 (defeated Keith Jardine in main event)
-Luke Cummo: $24,000 (defeated Jason Von Flue)
-Rashad Evans: $24,000 (defeated Sam Hoger)
-Josh Koscheck: $14,000 (defeated Ansar Chalangov)
-Chris Leben: $14,000 (defeated Luigi Fioravanti)
-Joe Stevenson: $12,000 (lost to Josh Neer)
-Josh Neer: $8,000 (defeated Joe Stevenson)
-Jon Fitch: $8,000 (defeated Josh Burkman)
-Sam Hoger: $7,000 (lost to Rashad Evans)
-Dan Christison: $6,000 (defeated Brad Imes)
-Brad Imes: $6,000 (lost to Dan Christison)
-Chael Sonnen: $6,000 (defeated Trevor Prangley)
-Trevor Prangley: $6,000 (lost to Chael Sonnen)
-Jason Von Flue: $5,000 (lost to Luke Cummo)
-Luigi Fioravanti: $5,000 (lost to Chris Leben)
-Keith Jardine: $5,000 (lost to Stephan Bonnar in main event)
-Josh Burkman: $5,000 (lost to Jon Fitch)
-Ansar Chalangov: $2,000 (lost to Josh Koscheck)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $181,000
Known Event Revenue: $423,150 (includes live gate of $199,150 and TV ad revenue of $224,000)


UFC 59
Event took place on April 15, 2006 and aired on PPV
-Tito Ortiz: $200,000 (defeated Forrest Griffin in co-main event)
-Andrei Arlovski: $90,000 (lost to Tim Sylvia in co-main event)
-Tim Sylvia: $90,000 (defeated Andrei Arlovski in co-main event)
-Evan Tanner: $40,000 (defeated Justin Levens)
-Karo Parisyan: $16,000 (defeated Nick Thompson)
-Sean Sherk: $16,000 (defeated Nick Diaz)
-Forrest Griffin: $16,000 (lost to Tito Ortiz in co-main event)
-David Terrell: $12,000 (defeated Scott Smith)
-Nick Diaz: $10,000 (lost to Sean Sherk)
-Jeff Monson: $10,000 (defeated Marcio Cruz)
-Jason Lambert: $8,000 (defeated Terry Martin)
-Thiago Alves: $8,000 (defeated Derrick Noble)
-Justin Levens: $5,000 (lost to Evan Tanner)
-Nick Thompson: $5,000 (lost to Karo Parisyan)
-Marcio Cruz: $5,000 (lost to Jeff Monson)
-Derrick Noble: $3,000 (lost to Thiago Alves)
-Scott Smith: $3,000 (lost to David Terrell)
-Terry Martin: $2,000 (lost to Jason Lambert)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $539,000
Known Event Revenue: $18.77 million to $19.57 million (includes PPV revenue of $16.58 million to $17.38 million; plus live gate of $2,191,450)


UFC 60 Fighter Salaries
Event took place on May 27, 2006 and aired on PPV
-Royce Gracie: $400,000 (lost to Matt Hughes in main event)
-Matt Hughes: $110,000 (defeated Royce Gracie in main event)
-Jeremy Horn: $70,000 (defeated Chael Sonnen)
-Brandon Vera: $32,000 (defeated Assuerio Silva)
-Diego Sanchez: $24,000 (defeated John Alessio)
-Mike Swick: $14,000 (defeated Joe Riggs)
-Spencer Fisher: $14,000 (defeated Matt Wiman)
-Joe Riggs: $12,000 (lost to Mike Swick)
-Gabriel Gonzaga: $10,000 (defeated Fabiano Scherner)
-Melvin Guillard: $10,000 (defeated Rick Davis)
-Alessio Sakara: $10,000 (lost to Dean Lister)
-Dean Lister: $10,000 (defeated Alessio Sakara)
-Assuerio Silva: $8,000 (lost to Brandon Vera)
-Chael Sonnen: $5,000 (lost to Jeremy Horn)
-Fabiano Scherner: $3,000 (lost to Gabriel Gonzaga)
-Matt Wiman: $3,000 (lost to Spencer Fisher)
-John Alessio: $3,000 (lost to Diego Sanchez)
-Rick Davis: $2,000 (lost to Melvin Guillard)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $740,000
Known Event Revenue: $26.87 million (includes PPV revenue of $23.97 million; plus live gate of $2,900,090)

UFC 60 Note: The final PPV buyrate for UFC 60 is not yet available because smaller cable companies throughout the United States have not yet reported their PPV sales. Therefore, we are using the "absolute minimum" number for gross PPV revenue, based on the numbers that are known for UFC 60 (see the PPV article for more details). The final buyrate for the UFC 60 PPV will be higher once all of the late buys from smaller cable companies throughout the U.S. have been counted.


UFC Ultimate Finale 3
Event took place on June 24, 2006 and aired on Spike TV
-Kenny Florian: $12,000 (defeated Sam Stout in main event)
-Michael Bisping: $10,000 (defeated Josh Haynes)
-Kendall Grove: $10,000 (defeated Ed Herman)
-Rory Singer: $10,000 (defeated Ross Pointon)
-Mike Nickels: $10,000 (defeated Wes Combs)
-Matt Hamill: $10,000 (defeated Jesse Forbes)
-Kalib Starnes: $10,000 (defeated Danny Abaddi)
-Keith Jardine: $10,000 (defeated Wilson Gouveia)
-Solomon Hutcherson: $5,000 (lost to Rory Singer)
-Josh Haynes: $5,000 (lost to Michael Bisping)
-Ed Herman: $5,000 (lost to Kendall Grove)
-Ross Pointon: $5,000 (lost to Rory Singer)
-Jesse Forbes: $5,000 (lost to Matt Hamill)
-Danny Abaddi: $5,000 (lost to Kalib Starnes)
-Luigi Fioravanti: $4,000 (defeated Solomon Hutcherson)
-Sam Stout: $4,000 (lost to Kenny Florian in main event)
-Wes Combs: $2,000 (lost to Mike Nickels)
-Wilson Gouveia: $2,000 (lost to Keith Jardine)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $124,000
Known Event Revenue: $589,214 (includes live gate of $253,214 and TV ad revenue of $336,000)


UFC Ultimate Fight Night 5
Event took place on June 28, 2006 and aired on Spike TV
-Anderson Silva: $36,000 (defeated Chris Leben in main event)
-Rashad Evans: $24,000 (defeated Stephan Bonnar)
-Stephan Bonnar: $16,000 (lost to Rashad Evans)
-Jon Fitch: $16,000 (defeated Thiago Alves)
-Josh Koscheck: $14,000 (defeated Dave Menne)
-Jason Lambert: $14,000 (defeated Branden Lee Hinkle)
-Luke Cummo: $12,000 (lost to Jonathan Goulet)
-Rob MacDonald: $10,000 (defeated Kristian Rothaermel)
-Mark Hominick: $8,000 (defeated Jorge Gurgel)
-Chris Leben: $7,000 (lost to Anderson Silva in main event)
-Thiago Alves: $6,000 (lost to Jon Fitch)
-Jonathan Goulet: $6,000 (defeated Luke Cummo)
-Kristian Rothaermel: $5,000 (lost to Rob MacDonald)
-Jorge Gurgel: $5,000 (lost to Mark Hominick)
-Justin Levens: $5,000 (lost to Jorge Santiago)
-Dave Menne: $5,000 (lost to Josh Koscheck)
-Branden Lee Hinkle: $4,000 (lost to Jason Lambert)
-Jorge Santiago: $4,000 (defeated Justin Levens)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $197,000
Known Event Revenue: $358,368 (includes live gate of $134,368 and TV ad revenue of $224,000)


UFC 61 Fighter Salaries
Event took place on July 8, 2006 and aired on PPV
-Tito Ortiz: $210,000 (defeated Ken Shamrock in co-main event)
-Tim Sylvia: $120,000 (defeated Andrei Arlovski in co-main event)
-Ken Shamrock: $100,000 (lost to Tito Ortiz in co-main event)
-Andrei Arlovski: $90,000 (lost to Tim Sylvia in co-main event)
-Frank Mir: $56,000 (defeated Dan Christison)
-Joe Stevenson: $24,000 (defeated Yves Edwards)
-Jeff Monson: $20,000 (defeated Anthony Perosh)
-Drew Fickett: $12,000 (defeated Kurt Pellegrino)
-Josh Burkman: $10,000 (defeated Josh Neer)
-Hermes Franca: $8,000 (defeated Joe Jordan)
-Yves Edwards: $8,000 (lost to Joe Stevenson)
-Josh Neer: $6,000 (lost to Josh Burkman)
-Cheick Kongo: $6,000 (defeated Gilbert Aldana)
-Dan Christison: $5,000 (lost to Frank Mir)
-Joe Jordan: $4,000 (lost to Hermes Franca)
-Anthony Perosh: $3,000 (lost to Jeff Monson)
-Gilbert Aldana: $2,000 (lost to Cheick Kongo)
-Kurt Pellegrino: $2,000 (lost to Drew Fickett)
Gross Totals:
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $676,000
Known Event Revenue: Unknown (live gate figures not yet available; PPV sales figures not yet available)


As you can see most fighters are competing for absolute peanuts, though with all the money floating round the sport, I am sure this will change shortly..

Yes, this is what I was thinking, that MMA is a massive earner for promoters. UFC 57 is an example of how much money is in it. Massive PPV revenues, but yet less than 750,000 dollars paid out. Any boxing promoter would give one of his nuts for that sort of profit margin.

However, in time, the fighters will demand more, once there is a star big enough.

I do wonder though, whether there will ever be stars that are bigger than the sport. The whole show seems to be more the thing rather than a single fight or fighter. So long as most of the contestts remain evenly matched, then people will turn up for the entire show rather than one fighter. Where did you find those figures?

Compared to the likes of Floyd Mayweather the biggest salaries in MMA are peanuts indeed, but still significant nontheless and surely only will grow.