Bellator salaries range from $1,500 to $75,000

California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has released Bellator 160 salaries to Marc Raimondi for MMA Fighting. Bellator 160 was held on August 26, 2016 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Main Card

Benson Henderson ($75,000 + no win bonus = $75,000)
beat Patricio Freire ($50,000)

Derek Anderson ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000)
beat Saad Award ($18,000)

Georgi Karakhanyan ($17,000 + $17,000 = $34,000)
beat Bubba Jenkins ($14,000)

A.J. McKee ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000)
beat Cody Walker ($8,000)

Prelim Card

David Duran ($2,000 + $2,000 = $4,000)
beat Kyle Estrada ($1,500)

Steve Ramirez ($1,750 + $1,750 = $3,500)
beat Ron Henderson ($2,000)

Joey Davis ($5,000 + no win bonus = $5,000)
beat Keith Cutrone ($1,500)

Gabriel Green ($1,500 + $1,500 = $3,000)
beat Alex Trinidad ($1,500)

Andy Murad ($2,000 + $2,000 = $4,000)
beat Johnny Cisneros ($2,000)

Jake Roberts ($5,000 + $5,000 = $10,000)
beat Stephen Martinez ($2,500)

Chinzo Machida ($8,000 + $8,000 = $16,000)
beat Mario Navarro Jr. ($2,500)

These are the contracted amounts paid out, and do not reflect either a fighter’s complete income, which typically includes some sponsorship, nor does it include costs, which are substantial.

The highest purse on the card was Benson Henderson’s, at $75,000, which he gets whether he wins or not. He may also receive income that is not on his contract.

Henderson reported that one of the deciding factors in moving from the UFC to Bellator was sponsorships. He also acknowledges that the landscape has changed.

The fighter did however say that for his Bellator debut, he made nearly as much as he did in the UFC for Reebok. Curiously the only prominent mark on his shorts was for MMA Lab, the camp he has long fought out of.

The $75,000 that he made on Friday does not compare particularly well with his official UFC income for his last three fights, which are also likely to have included one or more “locker room” bonuses.

Split Decision win over Jorge Masvidal on November 28, 2015*
$117,000 ($51,000 to show, $51,000 win bonus, $15,000 Reebok sponsorship)

Submission win over Brandon Thatch on February 14, 2015*
$146,000 ($48,000 to show, $48,000 win bonus, $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

Decision loss to Donald Cerrone on January 18, 2015
$48,000

The bottom line is, with a handful of exceptions, MMA fighters don’t make a lot of money. Back management, trainers fees, taxes, and camp expenses, there is not a lot left of Henderson’s $75,000.

Then back it out the $2,500 that Mario Navarro Jr. made to get knocked out by Chinzo Machida. Or the $2,000 that Ron Henderson made to get knocked out by Steve Ramirez. Or the $1,500 that Alex Trinidad made to get knocked out by the still undefeated Gabriel Green.

It’s a hard living.

*Estimate by mma-manifesto.com