UFC officials give out Randy Couture salary information - Mixed Martial Arts

PizDoff · 11/01/2007 4:48pm

UFC officials give out Randy Couture salary information

Randy Couture, who quit the Ultimate Fighting Championship as reigning heavyweight champion over a money dispute, made $2.9 million this past year, according to UFC officials.
They respond to resigned champion's claims of being underpaid by announcing he will get nearly $2.9 million this year. He has said his bonus and annual earnings were lower than that.
By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 31, 2007
Responding to criticism from resigned champion Randy Couture that they underpaid fighters, Ultimate Fighting Championship executives Tuesday took the unprecedented step of publicly announcing what they're paying the former heavyweight star this year: nearly $2.9 million.

"We pay our fighters very well," UFC President Dana White said at a news conference in Las Vegas. "The statements [Couture] has made are not true."

Couture, 44, last week resigned from the UFC, saying he had not received a proper post-fight bonus for defeating Gabriel Gonzaga in August. He also complained that he had heard the UFC planned to pay more to former PRIDE Fighting Championships heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko.

Couture has said his bonus and annual earnings were lower than what the UFC claimed at its news conference. The fighter could not be reached for comment.

UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta said at the news conference that Couture's earnings were being made public because the fighter's statements had "so grossly misrepresented the facts. . . . They were damaging the company. You can stay silent only so long."

John Mulkey, the fight circuit's chief financial officer, said Couture received a $500,000 signing bonus in January -- $250,000 of which he was paid immediately, with the other half coming after he won the heavyweight title in March by defeating Tim Sylvia.

The contract stipulated Couture fight four times in an 18-month period, sources said.

Mulkey said Couture also earned a $250,000 purse against Sylvia and $936,000 more in pay-per-view revenue -- making the fighter's take from just that fight more than $1.4 million.

Against Gonzaga, Mulkey said Couture was paid a $250,000 purse, a $35,000 bonus for winning the "fight of the night," and should receive $787,000 more in pay-per-view money.

Beyond the $2.7 million in purses and bonuses Couture has earned this year as a fighter, he earned another $160,000 as a UFC commentator, White said.

Although state commissions in Nevada and California publicly disclose UFC purses, the pay-per-view and bonus payments are secret, leaving the increasingly profitable UFC open to questions about the fairness in what it pays its fighters.

White said the UFC is generous in its bonus payments, pointing to a $1-million bonus it gave welterweight Matt Hughes after a victorious fight over Royce Gracie last year.

Couture's earnings are second among the 200 UFC fighters only to former light-heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, White said.

A UFC source said Couture was angered when White balked at the fighter's request for an additional $500,000 bonus after the Gonzaga bout.

"I don't know what I did wrong," White said. "We're running a business here."

White said he expects Couture to honor his contract and is planning to soon present the fighter with a bout against heavyweight Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera in February.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/boxing...ck=1&cset=true
Thanks to El Macho for the link.

This comes after much controversy, press conferences from both sides.
See this thread for previous news story.

Mixed Martial Arts Superstar Randy Couture Leaves Ultimate Fighting Championship
http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=61241

**KayRoc** · Posted On: 11/01/2007 4:51pm

Hmm... I dont know what to think. I still think UFC fighters are underpaid.

**MuayThaiBri67** · Posted On: 11/01/2007 5:02pm

Originally Posted by KayRoc

Hmm... I dont know what to think. I still think UFC fighters are underpaid.

Alright then. How much do you think they should get paid? Remember the UFC isn't the NBA or NFL. The average beginner pro boxer gets about $300 for a bout. The average beginner UFC fighter makes about $5000 per fight.

**meataxe** · Posted On: 11/01/2007 5:18pm

According to this: http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles...PMCpj40QGAq-BB

...it would seem that the PPV revenues are not exactly mind-blowing. If you figure Zuffa takes in $3m on an average fight after the split with carriers, then paying out nearly $1m in PPV bonus is pretty generous. (Although I would assume that the Couture/Sylvia fight took in more than average.)

**Odacon** · Posted On: 11/01/2007 5:33pm

I thought Dana rejected his resignation?

**partyboy** · Posted On: 11/01/2007 5:43pm

Originally Posted by KayRoc

Hmm... I dont know what to think. I still think UFC fighters are underpaid.

Just like was said above, this isn't the NFL or NBA... This is one person that gets paid to train, fight, and entertain the crowd... If I could make my current salary and do exactly that, I would be in HEAVEN. I know the debate about athletes being paid huge sums of money has been done to death but how many milliions do you have to have to make 4 fights a year?

**Jadonblade** · Posted On: 11/01/2007 5:47pm

I wonder how much he is getting for Scorpion king 2?

**Roidie McDouchebag** · Posted On: 11/01/2007 5:48pm

LOL@these numbers floating around, the UFC makes tens of millions off each event, let's say $30 million. Couture made, let's say $1.5 million.

Ferttitas make multiple millions, Dana makes multiple millions, Couture gets chump change by comparison.

**KayRoc** · Posted On: 11/01/2007 5:51pm

Originally Posted by MuayThaiBri67

Alright then. How much do you think they should get paid? Remember the UFC isn't the NBA or NFL. The average beginner pro boxer gets about $300 for a bout. The average beginner UFC fighter makes about $5000 per fight.

Sure, but you have to remember. The UFC is by no means the beginners MMA venue. its for the guys who have a pretty decent AM record, they dont throw first time scrubs in there.

**UpaLumpa** · Posted On: 11/01/2007 6:11pm

Originally Posted by meataxe

According to this: http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles...PMCpj40QGAq-BB

...it would seem that the PPV revenues are not exactly mind-blowing. If you figure Zuffa takes in $3m on an average fight after the split with carriers, then paying out nearly $1m in PPV bonus is pretty generous. (Although I would assume that the Couture/Sylvia fight took in more than average.)

the 4.8 million is after the cut and the UFC ppv's have been selling a lot more than 300k lately.