UFC legend Chael Sonnen claims he made over $8 million for his second fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 148.
In their first bout at UFC 117, Silva secured a late fifth-round submission win over Sonnen to retain the middleweight title. Two years later, Sonnen suffered a second-round TKO loss to Silva.
Chael Sonnen Says He Earned His Largest Purse at UFC 148
Despite the loss in 2012, Sonnen alleges that he made a large amount of money in his title rematch against Silva.
“The most I made was 8.8 [million] in one night. I made 8.8 the second time I fought Anderson,” Chael Sonnen said on the FLAGRANT podcast. “This was in 2012, and I will tell you, the numbers are bigger than people think they are. I’ve always wondered what [Anderson] got, he had to get more. He had to, he had to.”
“I heard rumors he was 3.2 million or 3.1 million and I’ve tried to confirm that. But then he told me a number that he thought we did on pay-per-view and it wasn’t the number we did on pay-per-views. So I don’t know how this whole thing sat, there was just a time I stopped [searching].” (Transcribed by BJPenn.com)
According to BetMGM, Anderson Silva is the fifth-highest paid UFC fighter in history. Sonnen was not listed in the top-20. In 2012, it was reported that Sonnen made a total of $50,000 while Silva made $200,000 at UFC 148.
