Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg Final Numbers; Diaz earns $150,000
Posted on February 1, 2011, 12:15 AM by Joey SantosusThe CSAC has released the final figures for the Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg event, with Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz leading the way as the card's top earner.
A total of 9,059 fans were in attendance Saturday night with a gate totaling $533,214.50
While Diaz was by far the event's highest paid fighter earning $150,000, NFL veteran Herschel Walker took home a mere $5,000 for his impressive first round TKO victory over Scott Carson.
Complete fighter salaries are listed below:
Main Card:
Nick Diaz: $150,000 (no win bonus) def. Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos: $20,000
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza: $85,000 ($15,000 win bonus) def. Robbie Lawler: $65,000
Herschel Walker: $5,000 (no win bonus) def. Scott Carson: $5,000
Roger Gracie: $75,000 (no win bonus) def. Trevor Prangley: $30,000
Preliminary Card:
Nate Moore: $4,000 ($2,000 win bonus) def. Nathan Coy: $3,000
Isaiah Hill: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus) def. Bobby Stack: $1,500
Ron Keslar $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus) def. Eric Larson: $1,500
Germaine De Randamie: $3,000 ($1,000 win bonus) def. Stephanie Webber: $1,000
James Terry: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus) def. Lucas Gamaza: $1,500
Jenna Castillo: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus) def. Charlene Gellner: $1,000
Comments
3k is shocking...and 1.5k is even more so....
About the same as UFC fighters get but yeah it is incredibly low.
Not about the same as UFC fighters, 6-8K is usually the minimum an undercard fighter will make, that is a huge difference. And no these numbers really aren't shocking, I really can't see Strikeforce rolling in cash right now even with their recent surge.
Wrong. The average undercard fighter in the UFC makes 2-3K
What event/fighter are you referring to. UFC 125 the lowest was 8k.
Umm not wrong...
Your arrogance annoyed me so I actually decided to spend 2 minutes looking this up. On the wikipedia pages since UFC 99 that have payrolls listed, including UFN's and ultimate fighter finales there has only been 3 fighters who made 3K for a fight in the UFC (two came on the same card too), and just about over half a dozen who made 4K (did not count the actual number tho) and a reasonable amount who made 5K for their effort but the average fighter on the undercards made about 6-10K and a reasonable number making even 10K-26K
In general. If 125 was that hight they either uped it or had an unusually high paying night.
Yeah Herschel Walker only $ 5,000. that is messed up.
This must be your first time looking at SF salaries, and Nick made 3 times what he made his last fight.
Why? He is a newb. If you want to argue that most MMA fighter salaries are too low then I agree that it is messed up but in reality Herschal made 2K more than most pros with his experience in a major promotion.
i think hes even said that he doesnt do it for the money... i bet he is rich as hell from playing in the NFL for so long.
Not really when your fighting a can. Although Roger Gracie definitely did not deserve that much for that level of competition.
Absolutly!! Not everyone should quit thier day job..
Honestly Diaz should you really be the one to complain about not getting paid for his sacrifice? I mean he bitches about that in every interview but 150k seems pretty good.
Well when you think about it, those 150k covers 3 month of food, training, medical stuff etc... So I bet there's not much more left for him especially with the top training (and so expensive) he has.
But yeah it's sad to see that some fighters are still getting paid only 1.5k for what they do...
guys like Rashad Evans are making $250,000 without bonuses and endorsements.
Considering Diaz is one of StrikeForce's top names and top draws, $150,000 without bonuses and BEFORE tax deductions and expenses, isn't all that much.
Top Gym $100-$200 a month
Top dietician and personal trainer 3K a month
Med is a co pay for tests. Lets be really pessimistic and say $200
A flight from Boston to LA (just for instance) for 5 people in economy is around $411.
Lets say rent/mortgage + food + utilities is 3K a month.
Hotel at $500 a night for four nights 2K
Total is $21,211.00 est.
150K - $21,211.00 = $128,789.00 that Nick gets to bank. Considering I high balled some of those numbers I think Nick is doing all right.
@IChokePeople, you stopped too soon. You need to also deduct a standard 20% manager/agent fee, taxes ( federal tax at that gross amount is near 50%) California state tax ect.
After all of that, then Diaz gets to 'bank" what little is left.
Like Diaz said, he doesn't make much considering he is one of SF's biggest names and draws.
I am sure he has a business account that he gets taxed at far less say more like 21% . he probably has somewhere in the region of 80k at the end of the day which would be tax free and payment free for 3 or 4 months. not bad. 240k/year takehome.
@falcon4917, lol, sorry to break it to you bud but a person's labor is tax based on 'personal income" ...not as a business!
Now, a person can have a business and that business will have a whole separate taxation scale but fighters are employees subjected to "personal income taxation"!
StrikeForce would be under the tax scale you are speaking of.
....for what it's worth.
He fights contacturally so he could be a business guaranteed a certain amount of work for his efforts. I would say they are probably running contracts for the very reason of tax so as to sign off as a business. There is a reason that they always negotiate with the fighters and camps before each fight I would think.
I worked on the riggs as a contractor doing the same job as many others for the same company but I decided on contract rather than get hit with 48% tax I was hit with 21%. I doubt the fighters managers have missed that opportunity.
He can incorporate himself. I know small business owners who have done so.
It only cost me $600.00 canadian to start my own business account and save on taxes as a contractor.
Say you cut in half what I stated it still is 120k per year at least. Thats 10k a month take home.
that "little" is still more than most make gross in three months.
you also forgot to add the sponsorship money which probaly doubles this amount
@IChokePeople, "most' fighters aren't champion with a 9 fight win streak, a top name with the company or top draw.
Just like "most' aren't Manny Pacquiao, Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning, Kobe Bryant.....well you get the point!
What does that have to do with Nick Diaz's earnings? We aren't discussing everyone, just him. I agree that most fighters don't get paid enough for what they do but Nick is doing alright.
Damn ! You are good at Math ! :D
omg it sucks to be an unknown fighter you work your ass for 2 months and get paid 1500
Makes me feel better about my paycheck! LOL Dont spend it all in one place Charlene and Stephanie!
MMA salaries makes me sick. The fighters work too hard to make so little.
Why does Diaz complain about money all the time?? He makes 150K and fights about 3 times a year - Let's say he earns an average of 125K, thats still 375k!! Not to mention sponsors and anyother business ventures he might have. Greedy.
dude he just signed a new contract, this was his first 150k, he made 50k his previous fights.
Even then, 150K a year for showing up, double that from sponsors. He isn't starving, that's for sure.
what is K
The fight purses may be small but they are also raking in checks from endorsements which I'm sure are way higher than the couple of grands offered from the organization.