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Cung Le Comes Out On Top With 350k In UFC 139 Payouts

Posted By: Bruno Published in Fight Shows

Nov

Fighter salaries for UFC 139 were released by The California State Athletic Commission and Cung Le lead the way. $350,000 payday for Le, followed by Dan Henderson with $250,000. Complete list of disclosed pay after the jump.

Dan Henderson: $250,000 (no win bonus)
Mauricio Rua: $165,000

Wanderlei Silva: $200,000 (no win bonus)
Cung Le: $350,000

Urijah Faber: $64,000 (includes $32,000 win bonus)
Brian Bowles: $19,000

Martin Kampmann: $58,000 ($29,000 win bonus)
Rick Story: $19,000

Stephan Bonnar: $68,000 ($34,000 win bonus)
Kyle Kingsbury: $10,000

Ryan Bader: $48,000 ($24,000 win bonus)
Jason Brilz: $13,000

Michael McDonald: $14,000 ($7,000 win bonus)
Alex Soto: $6,000

Chris Weidman: $24,000 ($12,000 win bonus)
Tom Lawlor: $12,000

Gleison Tibau: $34,000 ($17,000 win bonus)
Rafael dos Anjos: $16,000

Miguel Torres: $60,000 ($30,000 win bonus)
Nick Pace: $4,000

Seth Baczynski: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
Matt Brown: $12,000

Danny Castillo: $34,000 ($17,000 win bonus)
Shamar Bailey: $8,000

The total payout was $1,524,000. Henderson, Shogun, Le, Silva, McDonald and Faber also brought in $70,000 performance bonuses which aren’t reflected in these numbers. Remember, these are only disclosed salaries and don’t include PPV percentages or behind the scenes bonuses.

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gunnyhighway99 Says, in 11-22-2011 at 07:31:07 from 71.90.6.97

I read in Chuck’s book a few years back that he was paid $500K for one of his fights with Tito, but after the PPV he actually raked in well over $1M. Not a bad payday for the top guys, but they still don’t come anywhere near Manny/Floyd numbers. One day they’ll get there!!

bigbadman Says, in 11-22-2011 at 07:45:34 from 94.15.77.12

I feel sorry for Nick Pace

ericsson Says, in 11-22-2011 at 08:21:34 from 70.80.16.62

le ??? the vietnamese mini bum can’t fight at that level
he doesn’t deserve all that money
go down in weight cung you may have chance at 135

baller Says, in 11-22-2011 at 09:45:02 from 76.16.39.61

top fighters should be paid dat much like rua, hendo, cain, jds, no but dis f***** hollywood fool makes more

Steve Says, in 11-22-2011 at 10:19:22 from 67.5.121.212

Too bad Le was not in the shape as when this pic was taken.

TheViciousone Says, in 11-22-2011 at 10:39:41 from 66.225.152.1

From a business perspective paying Cung that much was probably a smart thing for them to do. Had he won even better. Cung has a HUGE following believe it or not. He is huge in Asia, where the UFC is trying to penetrate. I can bet you a lot of people who normally don’t watch UFC watched that card. The card on a whole was a huge success to fans of the sport. Imagine tuning in for your first time and watching these fights. Hooked, like Pride hooked me.

dznr Says, in 11-22-2011 at 10:50:19 from 184.74.185.219

Really……

Cung is a top level fighter, and maybe just had some ring rust, and got caught by a very motivated Wandi.

But you watch, Cungs next fight he win dominate it.

southiejimmy Says, in 11-22-2011 at 10:58:23 from 98.217.190.53

how the hell does cung le make more than hendo,shogun, and wand.thats just plain stupid.
as a matter of fact, half the guys on that card should have made more than le.
i guess we cant blame cung le, it just means he has a great agent and great negotiating.
anyway,between that card and the bellator card, this was without question the best night of mma ever,period.

KungFuLowKick Says, in 11-22-2011 at 12:18:10 from 24.212.44.131

And you guys still beleive nobody is underpaid?!?
Pace got 4k!!!!To fight an ex world champion he only got 4k.Bowles an ex world champ got 19k.Lets try to find one ex world champ boxer who gets that underpaid.And even Faber and Torres got underpaid for what they did in the sport.Keep listening to Dana White when he says UFC fighters are more paid them boxers.You have the numbers here and you can clearly see he’s a lying Douche.

And please don’t tell me the stupid argument that some guys on boxing undercards get paid less.Sure they do but they also aren’t in the top of their sports at all.These guys are all 1-0 or 0-0 guys fighting 4 rounds fight and who most of the time suck or are beginners.Of course they won’t get paid as much a UFC newcomer.But teh UFC newcomer is way more adanced in his sport then the boxing undercard guys.

KungFuLowKick Says, in 11-22-2011 at 12:19:58 from 24.212.44.131

And the PPV bonuses just says that Hendo,Le,Shogun,Silva got paid more.But the guys who really need the money won’t get it because they aren’t even on the PPV card so they won’t have PPV bonuses.

Klopper Says, in 11-22-2011 at 12:42:25 from 70.91.74.169

Props to Cung’s people for negotiating THAT payout from Dana and the Fertittas. Too bad Cung Lee decided that standing in front of Silva was a good idea.

Freedomfit Says, in 11-22-2011 at 13:19:17 from 99.107.235.23

f****** garbage…. This is why there is no real athletes in the UFC…Clowns like Cung get more than a ex UFC Champ Shogun, just sad.
I’m Glad he got Ax murdered, f****** punk.

shocktime Says, in 11-22-2011 at 13:30:10 from 76.172.141.75

Are these numbers a lump sum? Or is it gonna be taxed still? It’s not bad money, who here is gonna cry bout making over 100k a year? But in comparison to other sports like the NBA, MLB these guys are making chump change. Guys in the NBA that ride the bench the whole season making over 200k a year!!!

Shaikan Says, in 11-22-2011 at 14:06:04 from 99.232.69.42

I wonder how much money do the mid level guys actually make with “behind the scenes bonuses” and sponsorship. Because those salaries are WEAK.

cigronne Says, in 11-22-2011 at 14:19:45 from 95.122.70.242

4k, 6k, 8k, 10k… I can’t believe my eyes it seems like slavery to me.. We enjoy this sport for free, looks like some fighters risk their lives for next to free. This sport is in urgent need of salary’s legislation, fighters should make no less than 50k per bout, regardless of their weight category or lack of marketing appeal. In the name of dignity people entering the octagon and putting their lives on the line should have a well-deserved reward. Period

Shinka MMA Says, in 11-22-2011 at 14:20:05 from 96.48.152.37

Not a bad payday, and, like they said, it doesn’t reflect behind the scenes cash and ppv cuts.

However, these numbers kind of pale in comparison to the 100 million p/fight mayweather money; Perhaps FOX will change all that.

jakelo Says, in 11-22-2011 at 14:31:09 from 88.171.239.67

I wont say it’s not cool Le was paid at that price, I would say it’s not other great fighters arent pay that much!

casyboy Says, in 11-22-2011 at 14:35:32 from 66.8.155.29

please tell me cung le sucked someones dick!

mmafan Says, in 11-22-2011 at 14:40:26 from 63.133.134.18

Aside the detailed realities underlying why the UFC paid Cung Le 350K on his first UFC fight, its gotta feel like a slap in the face to the other UFC fighters to see the disparity in salaries that goes on…I cannot imagine otherwise.

^^^^ Says, in 11-22-2011 at 14:46:32 from 24.246.64.173

WTF man, 4k?!?!?! seriously, that is bull s***… I don’t care if he gets another 25k from sponsors, but unless the UFC are the ones that gets him those sponsors then it’s retarded. His sponsorship money is the money he has to earn himself by going out to get them. He doesn’t get any of the PPV revenue either so overall, it’s a s*** pay day. 4k, what a joke, if Dana was able to give 2 fight of the nights away meaning an extra $140k, I’m sure he can at least give fighters a minimum of $10k per fight. OH DID I MENTION TAX?

cvr Says, in 11-22-2011 at 14:58:12 from 67.166.235.64

man they need to pay some of these guys more.. one of the fighters made 4k….seriously that is screwed up.

amosaback Says, in 11-22-2011 at 15:13:22 from 161.28.169.146

Wow, Faber is really undervalued!

Thanks for posting this Bruno. I find these pay reports fascinating.

Zenko Says, in 11-22-2011 at 15:18:23 from 99.8.5.27

Not sure why you guys are ripping on Cung for getting that money if the scripts were flipped and you were fighting wouldnt you want to negotiate for the maximum money you could get from the UFC? I personally like both fighters and I think Cung showed nothing but class in all his interviews. I think for those that are ripping Cung or any other fighters you guys are just little punks who probably never trained a day in your life.

Stranger Says, in 11-22-2011 at 15:24:09 from 24.36.8.173

bigbadman said what I was thinking.
I think thats too low for ufc fighters.
the payouts are slowing increasing though

ness2k Says, in 11-22-2011 at 16:01:37 from 76.171.236.181

I can’t believe Lee got that much money. He lost the damn fight! WTF?

BrotherButthead Says, in 11-22-2011 at 16:53:32 from 184.96.255.30

People just don’t get it. Public interest makes the money for these guys not simply rankings. Dana White and Rogan have been talking up Cung Le for a while. He’s an exciting fighter and that’s what’s getting him so much money. People will tune in to see if he lands an awesome head kick like something out of a movie. Interest/hype = money.

PitfighterZ Says, in 11-22-2011 at 16:54:39 from 71.63.37.211

KungFu is right. The UFC is the top of the food chain as far as MMA goes and you have a fighter in a bout against an ex-champion making $4K. He probably had to pay more than that to prepare for the fight if you consider all the extra costs besides camp.
I think people get too worried about who is making more money. I couldn’t care less if Le makes $100K or $100 million. He has his bills covered. It’s the other fighters that worries me. You can check in the other big sports organizations and you will find out that anyone playing on the major league of that sport makes a living salary. In some, they are almost instant millionaires. A guy who will fight 3 times a year if he is lucky and doesn’t get injured making $4K in a fight in the largest organization in the sport is just plain wrong. Nobody in the UFC should get less than $10K plus sponsorships and bonuses. And that’s aiming pretty low…

azzy09 Says, in 11-22-2011 at 17:21:28 from 118.92.17.245

how does kung le have his first fight, lose to wandy, and still walk out with the most money..??lmao ??

asdf Says, in 11-22-2011 at 17:49:39 from 184.144.161.153

you all need to disconcern yourselves with how much these guys make, they do promotions/advertising and are under a contract with the UFC so they get salary…..Athletes shouldnt be making 7 million a year anyways all it does it create irresponsible fools who have large egos and end up being broke by the time their retired…..I like the fact these guys dont get paid the HUGE money and u can see how it builds their character i can listen to an MMA fighter do an interview try listening to an NFL or NBA player do an interview.

snype6969 Says, in 11-22-2011 at 18:01:07 from 98.181.43.154

why the hell wouldnt henderson and wand get their win bonuses. wtf. and a glorified actor who can kick getting paid more than everyone for losing. some of those numbers are f***** sad. no wonder fedor never signed. i wouldnt have either. what a slap in the face to wanderlei whos a legend in the sport to get paid 150k less then cungs noob ass. dana needs to be put in the cage and see how it feels.

bigtigger Says, in 11-22-2011 at 18:23:38 from 108.0.208.172

Now the real question, what will Cung get paid his next fight in the UFC?

OverHandGoodNight Says, in 11-22-2011 at 18:38:31 from 24.156.241.170

I don’t understand how Le vs. Wandi got fight of the night over Hendo vs. Shogun?

BamBam Says, in 11-22-2011 at 18:59:50 from 69.211.16.95

this means that most likely was a one fight deal for CUN(T) Le,since he’s a joke he can go back to make his lame ass straight to dvd d actor type of movies,so long BUM Le!!!!!!!!!!

Chemosux Says, in 11-22-2011 at 20:12:02 from 70.68.141.248

There’s some pretty shitty wages there, but who in cung’s psotion wouldn’t take the money. Obviously those in charge thought he was worth it and made the offer and Cung or his people accepted. Simple. The other fighters who got paid so poorly took what was offered. Some dollars is better than no dollars! Shitty deal but that’s how business works. There’s an offer, counter offer and acceptance. These warriors want to fight and took what they could!

baller Says, in 11-22-2011 at 21:04:24 from 76.16.39.61

u c gud fighters making 30k, 40k, after taxes, paying coaches, nutrition and expenses, and of course not to mention wat u put ur body tru training and the accualy fight, ur better of working 4 walgreens, its not funny but lmao.

fightdontbefake Says, in 11-22-2011 at 21:17:31 from 65.34.92.88

the reason he gets paid so much is because he is an actor and can make more money making movies (last I checked Pandorum wasn’t straight to DVD). If they dont pay him what he wants he will just make movies, thats called options people.

Throne Says, in 11-22-2011 at 21:24:27 from 99.89.191.33

Cry more….

My first job was chump change because I was a chump who could survive on change. Now I’m paid a whole s***-ton more because I’m winning in my professional life.

Maybe these guys need to win in the UFC and they’ll get paid more.

MuayThai CareBear Says, in 11-22-2011 at 21:32:47 from 50.135.66.196

Where is the Post Fight Pic.? Great fights.
Thanks Bruno for the posts..

Bruno: Here. http://www.mmatko.com/wanderlei-silva-says-cung-le-looks-more-like-a-real-fighter-with-his-new-nose/

NotVinnieJones Says, in 11-22-2011 at 22:27:31 from 208.107.51.22

I’m going to assume that every one of these fighters knew how much they were going to make before they even started their workout camps. If a fighter agrees to fight for a certain amount then that’s his business. I’m not going to bitch on his behalf if he himself already accepted to fight for that amount.
I think fans have a choice here if they are angry about what the fighters make. The first choice would to be to stop supporting the UFC by not watching. The second choice would be to dig into your wallet and send a fighter money directly. Third choice would be to create your own MMA organization and pay your fighters what you feel enjoy they should make.
So if you are really upset about it you can order the PPV at full price to add to UFC revenue which would in turn create larger payouts. Or you can not worry about something you can’t change anyway and enjoy Bruno’s site here.

Bernardo Says, in 11-23-2011 at 00:28:55 from 108.74.221.230

The real question is how much did Dana and Fertti make?? Next, what percentage of total profits are the fighters making? It won’t be long before the fighters join up and go on strike!!

jhu Says, in 11-23-2011 at 01:28:56 from 24.86.198.224

wtf i thought wandy also won the fight of the night bonus…

Gaudy Says, in 11-23-2011 at 01:34:49 from 8.19.93.27

How do you even look someone in the eyes and give them $4k for fighting in the top MMA organization?

Brutal.

straightAhead Says, in 11-23-2011 at 01:52:41 from 212.77.203.180

There DEFINITELY needs to be a minimum wage in the UFC. But you know what? If the fighters arent complaining then who are we to complain for them? Either they are getting really good behind the scenes pay or they are content with what get or they are dumb phucks who fight for the glory not the money.

Juniordoslightsout Says, in 11-23-2011 at 01:55:05 from 24.2.95.168

and overhandgoodnight shogun and hendo did get fight of the night bonus they both did.

Sacramento Fan Says, in 11-23-2011 at 02:43:48 from 67.172.191.27

@OverHand:

There were two fight of the night awards, Hendo vs Shogun also got it.

drunkentigah Says, in 11-23-2011 at 05:13:00 from 75.83.71.115

you guys are missing the whole point. At least they released the salaries. It would be great to see how much profit they make tho!

Flyingkick Says, in 11-23-2011 at 08:18:31 from 72.24.227.7

cmon, if le came in the ring looking like law from tekken and starts fighting like bruce lee! i would give this guy an extra mil! lol

Dave Says, in 11-23-2011 at 13:53:08 from 24.246.31.5

those numbers don’t make much sense!
I think pride veterans deserve to get paid more!

and wow!! Nick Pace only gets $4000??? the UFC should be ashamed of themselves come on the poor guy deserves more than 4 grand he probably used alot more than that to just train this should be illegal for a company this big making so much profit. there should be a minimum wage thats well above 4 grands! ffs this is not a backyard fight!

chiroguy Says, in 11-23-2011 at 22:14:11 from 69.112.244.191

People…after watching Nick Pace’s performance, do you really think he deserved more than 4 grand!!! Let’s just say that i don’t think people were lining up the next day in front of Tiger Schulmann MMA schools looking to sign up. (In case you didn’t know, Pace trains at Tiger Schulmanns) My god…his fellow students had to be cringing watching his performance…I actually think my 96 year old grandma could have taken a round from him!!

Mike Says, in 11-24-2011 at 01:17:36 from 67.188.220.105

90k to the tax man
20-30k for the nose
50k for training

= -160k

————
= 190k pay day

PitfighterZ Says, in 11-24-2011 at 11:06:36 from 71.63.37.211

@chiroguy: It’s not just about performance. If he doesn’t perform well, the UFC can fire him at any time. It’s just that, overall, MMA is not a great career choice as professional sports go. It’s not like we are talking about a regional or local organization. It’s the f’ing UFC! You can’t get any higher than that in this sport.
Mediocre soccer players playing for o.k. teams in the top leagues of Europe make more than that per month and they don’t have to pay for training out of their own pockets.
I would probably be bold enough to say without checking that the worst player in the NBA worst team makes more than that, and he also doesn’t have to pay out of pocket money for training.
It’s hard to get really top athletes in the sport if there isn’t some kind of security that guarantees that, if you train hard and perform well, you won’t be getting paid less than what you put in just to participate.

KungFuLowKick Says, in 11-24-2011 at 13:21:09 from 24.212.44.131

@Throne
Are you implying UFC fighters are not winners?To me anyone who gets that high level in the hardest sport in the world is a winner.Even if he gets 0-3 in the UFC he’s still a winner who got to the highest level possible in his sport.

@PitfighterZ
You could say the NBA guy makes 100 times that salary.Hockey players are way less paid then NBA players because hockey is less popular and the minimum you can pay a hockey player no matter how few times he plays and how bad he plays is 450k.The guy might only play 5 minutes a game he will still have 450k.So the worst player of the NHL gets almost 100 times more money then a UFC fighter.If Dana wants the UFC to be considered like the NBA or BFL he should maybe pay his fighters more then he pays his cameramans.

KungFuLowKick Says, in 11-24-2011 at 13:21:31 from 24.212.44.131

NFL*

chiroguy Says, in 11-24-2011 at 13:37:19 from 69.112.244.191

PitfighterZ…i wholeheartedly agree!!! All kidding aside, $4000 for Mr. Pace was pretty pathetic. He definately spent more than that for yearly tuition at his “Tiger” school…Remember, those “Tiger” schools charge by the belt!!!LOL

Rick Says, in 11-24-2011 at 22:17:51 from 71.94.89.223

Le is a good fighter but come on, this was not fair to the other fighters on the card making small change.

wcoastassassin Says, in 11-24-2011 at 23:38:00 from 76.121.82.18

It’s about what fills the seats. I don’t see anything wrong with it. James Toney got like $400,000-$500,000 to fight Couture. If Ethan Hawke out acts Al Pacino, he’s not getting payed more. Just take it for what it is.

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