UFC 79 SALARIES

The attendance for UFC 79 was 10, 968 accounting for total gate receipts of $4,934,500, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The Ultimate Fighting Championship also held a closed-circuit broadcast at inside Mandalay Bay, which was attended by 541 people and accounted for an additional $27,050 in revenue.

The following figures are based on the fighter salary information that Zuffa, LLC (the UFC’s parent company) are required by law to submit to the state athletic commissions, including the winners' bonuses.

Although MMA fighters do not have collective bargaining or a union, the fighters' salaries are still public record, just as with every other major sport in the United States. Any undisclosed bonuses that Zuffa and the UFC also pay its fighters (specifically, pay-per-view bonuses for the top pay-per-view main event fighters, fight of the night bonuses, etc.), are not included in the figures below.

The following fighters received a $50,000 bonus from the UFC for the awards noted: Georges St-Pierre (Submission of the Night), Eddie Sanchez (Knockout of the Night), and Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva ($50,000 each for Fight of the Night).

In the listings below, " Main Event Fighters" are defined as fighters who compete in the main event of a show. "Main Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose fights appear on the main card, but not in title fights or in the main event. "Preliminary Match Fighters" are defined as fighters whose matches take place before the live broadcast goes on the air, regardless of whether or not those matches end up airing on the TV broadcast.


MAIN EVENT FIGHTERS

-Chuck Liddell: $500,000 (20th fight in UFC; defeated Wanderlei Silva; no win bonus)

-Georges St-Pierre: $160,000 (11th; defeated Matt Hughes; includes win bonus of $80,000)

-Wanderlei Silva: $150,000 (4th fight in UFC; lost to Chuck Liddell; no win bonus)

-Matt Hughes: $100,000 (19th fight in UFC; lost to Georges St-Pierre; win bonus would have been $100,000)


MAIN CARD FIGHTERS

-Lyoto Machida: $60,000 (4th fight in UFC; defeated Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou; includes win bonus of $30,000)

-Eddie Sanchez: $46,000 (4th fight in UFC; defeated Soa Palelei; includes win bonus of $23,000)

-Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: $40,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to Lyoto Machida; win bonus would have been $40,000)

-Rich Clementi: $28,000 (6th fight in UFC; defeated Melvin Guillard; includes win bonus of $14,000)

-Melvin Guillard: $10,000 (6th fight in UFC; lost to Rich Clementi; win bonus would have been $10,000)

-Soa Palelei: $5,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to Eddie Sanchez; win bonus would have been $5,000)


PRELIMINARY MATCH FIGHTERS

-Dean Lister: $22,000 (4th fight in UFC; defeated Jordan Radev; includes win bonus of $11,000)

-Manny Gamburyan: $20,000 (2nd fight in UFC; defeated Nate Mohr; includes win bonus of $10,000)

-James Irvin: $16,000 (6th fight in UFC; defeated Luis Cane; includes win bonus of $8,000)

-Roan Carneiro: $10,000 (3rd fight in UFC; defeated Tony DeSouza; includes win bonus of $5,000)

-Tony DeSouza: $7,000 (6th fight in UFC; lost to Roan Carneiro; win bonus would have been $7,000)

-Mark Bocek: $6,000 (2nd fight in UFC; defeated Doug Evans; includes win bonus of $3,000)

-Nate Mohr: $6,000 (3rd fight in UFC; lost to Manny Gamburyan; win bonus would have been $6,000)

-Luis Cane: $5,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to James Irvin; win bonus would have been $5,000)

-Jordan Radev: $5,000 (2nd fight in UFC; lost to Dean Lister; win bonus would have been $5,000)

-Doug Evans: $3,000 (2nd fight in UFC; lost to Mark Bocek; win bonus would have been $3,000)


DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $1,199,000