To no one’s surprise, more than half of the UFC 183 payroll belonged to headliners Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz. Silva earned $600,000 in show money and then pocketed an additional $200,000 for his win. Diaz, out of the sport for nearly 2 years, netted a cool $500,000 in his 4th consecutive UFC main event since returning to the promotion in 2011.
The only other fighter from the weekend to get into six-figures was Tyron Woodley, whose win over Kelvin Gastelum got him $130,000, in addition to the $9,000 forfeited by Gastelum after Kelvin missed weight. Of course, Woodley said in the post-fight interview that he doesn’t want Gastelum’s money.
This is the full list of payouts as provided by the Nevada Athletic Commission. It should be noted that these numbers do not reflect a fighter’s total earnings, as this does not include the post-fight bonuses, discretionary locker room bonuses, taxes, or sponsorship money.
Main Card (PPV)
Anderson Silva ($600,000 + $200,000 win = $800,000) def. Nick Diaz ($500,000)
Tyron Woodley ($65,000 + $65,000 win + $9,000* = $139,000) def. Kelvin Gastelum ($30,000 – $9,000* = $21,000)
Al Iaquinta ($18,000 + $18,000 win = $36,000) def. Joe Lauzon ($36,000)
Thales Leites ($24,000 + $24,000 win = $48,000) def. Tim Boetsch ($52,000)
Thiago Alves ($42,000 + $42,000 win = $84,000) def. Jordan Mein ($22,000)
Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1)
Miesha Tate ($38,000 + $38,000 win = $76,000) def. Sara McMann ($25,000)
Derek Brunson ($25,000 + $25,000 win = $50,000) def. Ed Herman ($47,000)
John Lineker ($21,000 + $21,000 win – *$6,300 = $35,700) def. Ian McCall ($16,000 + *$6,300 = $22,300)
Rafael Natal ($29,000 + $29,000 win = $58,000) def. Tom Watson ($16,000)
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Jimy Hettes ($16,000) vs. Diego Brandao ($24,000)**
Ildemar Alcantara ($16,000 + $16,000 win = $32,000) def. Richardson Moreira ($8,000)
Thiago Santos ($13,000 + $13,000 win = $26,000) def. Andy Enz ($8,000)
* – Woodley and McCall received 30% of the purses of Gastelum and Lineker, respectively, after both men failed to make weight.
** – Hettes and Brandao were paid their show money, but the fight was cancelled at the last minute.
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