UFC 162 salaries: Anderson Silva could bank $800,000, Weidman $48,000
As UFC President Dana White recently made clear, and disclosed payouts for Saturday's UFC 162 show, it's the guys who win the fights, sell the tickets and get people talking that reap the biggest rewards.
Top-five pay-per-view draw and middleweight champ Anderson Silva (33-4 MMA, 16-0 UFC), who recently inked a new 10-fight contract with the UFC, will bank a guaranteed $600,000 for fighting challenger Chris Weidman (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC), according to figures from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Silva, 38, stands to earn an additional $200,000 by defending his title an 11th time, which would add to his UFC record. The 29-year-old Weidman, meanwhile, is guaranteed $24,000 and an additional $24,000 if he makes history by taking the belt.
MMAjunkie.com (
MMAjunkie.com) recently requested and received disclosed salaries for UFC 162, which takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. A full list will be available following the event.
Silva's figures represent his highest disclosed salary to date. At UFC 148, which saw him defeat Chael Sonnen in a blockbuster rematch, he made $200,000 with no win bonus.
In fact, for his past two bouts in locales where show and win monies are public record, the middleweight champ and pound-for-pound best was out-earned by an opponent and a pair of fighters lower on the fight card.
Of course, disclosed salaries do not include "locker room" or special bonuses the UFC oftentimes pays, nor do they include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes.
Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, which can oftentimes be a substantial portion of a fighter's income.
For his previous bout, the undefeated Weidman earned $22,000 to show and $22,000 to defeat Mark Munoz at UFC on FUEL TV 4.
