UFC 91 ‘Couture vs Lesnar’ Fighter Payouts

MoneyThe NSAC has released the fighter payouts for UFC 91 “Couture vs. Lesnar.” Keep in mind, these figures represent the base contracted pay the fighter receives from the promotion. These figures do not include any additional “locker room” bonuses or sponsorship money, which in many cases exceeds a fighter’s base pay. These numbers also do not account for taxes, insurance, and license fees.

As previously reported, Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar were the big money winners at UFC 91. Lesnar took home a disclosed $450,000 for his win, with Couture pocketing $250,000 in defeat. Of course, that doesn’t tell the whole story. It was reported that Couture has a pay-per-view revenue sharing agreement with the UFC, which was said to be worth $3 million if UFC 91 pulled in 1 million pay-per-view buys. Considering that Lesnar is such a huge draw, he’s likely not too far behind. Therefore, their total pay will be dependent on how well UFC 91 did on pay-per-view.

UFC 91 Post-Fight Press Conference Videos & Notes

Brock Lesnar

Notes

—Not are there are any reports to the contrary, but the UFC is nowhere close to a network TV deal. Dana had this to say about it.

“(We are) not very close (to a network TV deal) now with this market like this… The networks are so strong, they pretty much tell you the deal that they’re going to give you whether you like it or not. We don’t need it. We built this company without the help of anybody… We don’t need help from anybody at the end of the day. If somebody wants to do the right deal with us, we’ll do it with them. Spike did. So we’re on Spike TV. Believe me, I’m happy as hell to be on Spike TV. We can stay there forever. I could care less.

Demian Maia is now being looked at as a possible candidate to coach opposite Michael Bisping on TUF 9. Rich Franklin has already publicly said he’s not too interested, and Dan Henderson apparently isn’t either. It’s not much of a surprise. Franklin’s already been there, done that, with the reward being a fight for a title shot that doesn’t make sense for him. Henderson wants a rematch with Anderson Silva as soon as he can get it. I’m sure he’s not too keen on sitting out for a year just to have an opportunity to fight for a title shot in 2010. Somebody has to challenge Silva for the belt between now and then. Maia seems like as good a candidate as any, but then what about the US vs. UK theme (Maia is Brazilian in case you didn’t know)? Personally, if TUF keeps getting worse like it has, then I could care less who’s coaching and what the theme is. By the way, Nate Marquardt is apparently another possibility.

Press conference videos of Randy Couture, Kenny Florian, Demian Maia, and Dustin Hazelett after the jump.

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A Fight I’d Like To See: Brock Lesnar vs Chuck Liddell

Brock Lesnar vs Chuck Liddell

Talk about a wild weekend for mixed martial arts. Brock Lesnar, a former WWE superstar, is now the UFC Heavyweight Champion, or at least half of it. ESPN had an unprecedented amount of coverage of mixed martial arts, even if most of it was only online. One of the weakest UFC cards on paper turned out to be one of the most entertaining events of the year. And if that wasn’t crazy enough for you, apparently Fedor Emelianenko lost his Sambo match at the World Sambo Championships yesterday. To put that into context, last year, one of his opponents didn’t even show up because he was apparently too intimidated. So yeah, it was a wild weekend.

But it’s not over yet, hence this post. Some of you will likely call me as crazy as this weekend was, but hear me out.

UFC 91 Post-Fight Interview: Randy Couture

Randy Couture shares his thoughts on his fight against Brock Lesnar, and also who he thinks would win a Fedor vs. Lesnar fight. Yep, the talk is already starting…everywhere.

CR: RawVegas.tv

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ESPN MMA Live: UFC 91 Post-Fight With Brock Lesnar

I watched nearly all of MMA Live’s “live” coverage of UFC 91, and I have to say, besides a few technical difficulties in the post-fight show, their coverage was outstanding. Hopefully, enough people tuned in to convince them to do this for every UFC and every other major MMA event moving forward. And better yet, hopefully the coverage finds it way onto television.

The MMA Live crew gives their final thoughts on Brock Lesnar’s win after the jump.

UFC 91 ‘Couture vs Lesnar’ Results, Thoughts, Bonuses & Live Gate

UFC 91 PosterUFC 91 “Couture vs. Lesnar” took place this evening at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Randy Couture made his return to the UFC following a 15-month hiatus to defend his UFC Heavyweight Championship against the monstrous Brock Lesnar. It was billed as “the biggest fight in UFC history,” but did it live up to the hype?

Two of the UFC’s elite lightweights, Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson, battled it out for a chance to face UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn in 2009.

Gabriel Gonzaga looked to stay relevant in the UFC’s heavyweight division by facing UFC newcomer Josh Hendricks.

Demain Maia tried to keep his UFC winning streak alive against hard-hitting Nate Quarry.

Dustin Hazelett and Tamdan McCrory met in the Octagon in a match some are calling the “Revenge of the Nerds.”

Results and commentary after the jump.

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Just How Much Are Randy & Brock Making Tonight?

Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar UFC 91 Weigh-Ins
More UFC 91 weigh-in photos at CombatLifestyle.com

Well, the short answer is A LOT, but here’s the long answer.

Typically, the athletic commissions release the disclosed fighter salaries following the event, however the NSAC has released Randy and Brock’s purses early to the LA Times..

Also Friday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission released financial figures showing that both Couture and Lesnar are guaranteed $250,000. Lesnar gets an extra $200,000 if victorious, while Couture would double his guaranteed money to $500,000 if he wins.

Of course, if you’ve been following mixed martial arts for any significant amount of time, you probably know those numbers don’t tell the whole story. In addition to the behind-closed-doors “locker room” bonuses the UFC gives out at their own discretion (one of Randy’s gripes from last year), Randy (and Brock most likely) has a pay-per-view revenue sharing agreement built into his deal. How much is that worth? I don’t know, but there was a report immediately following the announcement of Randy’s return that Couture could pocket a cool $3 million from this fight, and Brock probably isn’t too far behind. That number is based off of UFC 91 pulling one million pay-per-view buys, so how much they take home will be dependent on how many people buy the pay-per-view.

Truth is, no one, not even Randy and Brock, knows how much they will make tonight, but you can bet it will damn sure be A LOT.

ESPN First Take: Brock Lesnar


“I don’t think I deserve anything. I was asked if I wanted a title shot against Randy Couture and I accepted it. I don’t think that I deserve anything. I don’t walk around thinking I deserve anything out of life. But this is an opportunity and I’m going to seize the moment and try and take that title away tomorrow night. I’m as ready as I’m gonna be. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I understand that. If there was any other heavyweight in the division that was asked for this opportunity they would have also probably not turned the opportunity down.”

The question of whether or not Brock Lesnar deserves the title shot so early in his career doesn’t matter anymore (nor did it ever). He’s getting his opportunity tonight, and win or lose, Brock Lesnar is going home with a big fat check in his pocket.

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ESPN MMA Live: UFC 91 Post Weigh-Ins Coverage With Dana White

Couture vs. Lesnar


The MMA Live crew and Dana White discuss Kenny Florian & Joe Stevenson and the impact of UFC 91 on the sport after the jump.

Randy Couture: I Am A Fighter

Tonight’s the big night. Is Randy Couture still the fighter that made him a legend? We’ll find out soon enough!

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