UFC Fight Night 82 Salaries: ‘Wonderboy’s’ Bonus Bigger Than His Paycheck
Rising UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson may have picked up what ranks as by far his biggest win when he knocked out former champion Johny ‘Bigg Rigg’ Hendricks in the main event of last weekend’s (Sat., February 6, 2015) UFC Fight Night 82 from the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, but his paycheck didn’t necessarily reflect it.
Thompson was paid $24,000 to win and $24,000 for a total of $48,000 for the thrilling performance against Hendricks, an amount that was actually $2,000 less than the much-deserved $50,000 ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus he received afterward.
In an odd twist, UFC Fight Night 82 featured a high number of six-figure earners aside from Thompson, as five total fighters made $100,000 or more last Saturday. They were headlined by Hendricks ($100,000), Roy Nelson ($150,000), Joseph Benavidez ($118,000), Ovince St. Preux ($102,000), and longtime veteran Mike Pyle, who earned $106,000 in addition to $50,000 more for ‘Fight of the Night’ in his exciting stoppage win over Sean Spencer.
Here is the full list of disclosed UFC Fight Night 82 payouts:
Main Card (FOX Sports 1):
Stephen Thompson ($24,000 + $24,000 = $48,000) def. Johny Hendricks ($100,000)
Roy Nelson ($75,000 + $75,000 = $150,000) def. Jared Rosholt ($33,000)
Ovince St. Preux ($51,000 + $51,000 = $102,000) def. Rafael Cavalcante ($42,000)
Joseph Benavidez ($59,000 + $59,000 = $118,000) def. Zach Makovsky ($19,000)
Misha Cirkunov ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) def. Alex Nicholson ($10,000)
Mike Pyle ($53,000 + $53,000 = $106,000) def. Sean Spencer ($17,000)
Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1):
Josh Burkman ($45,000 + $45,000 = $90,000) def. K.J. Noons ($34,000)
Derrick Lewis ($25,000 + $25,000 = $50,000) def. Damian Grabowski ($18,000)
Justin Scoggins ($17,000 + $17,000 = $34,000) def. Ray Borg ($18,000)
Diego Rivas ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Noad Lahat ($17,000)
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass):
Mickey Gall ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Mike Jackson ($10,000)
Alex White ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) def. Artem Lobov ($13,000)
