MMA Junkie reports the final Strikeforce salaries for Saturday’s event. Josh Barnett topped the list of earners with $250,000
Via MMA Junkie as released by the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission:
Tarec Saffiedine: $39,000 (includes $19,500 win bonus)
def. Nate Marquardt: $40,000
Daniel Cormier: $120,000 (includes $60,000 win bonus)
def. Dion Staring: $8,000
Josh Barnett: $250,000 (no win bonus)
def. Nandor Guelmino: $12,000
Gegard Mousasi: $175,000 (no win bonus)
def. Mike Kyle: $25,000
Ronaldo Souza: $100,500 (includes $28,000 win bonus)
def. Ed Herman: $34,000
Ryan Couture: $22,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus)
def. KJ Noons: $41,000
Tim Kennedy: $80,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus)
def. Trevor Smith: $8,000
Pat Healy: $42,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Kurt Holobaugh: $9,000
Roger Gracie: $94,000 (includes $47,000 win bonus)
def. Anthony Smith: $10,000
Adriano Martins: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Jorge Gurgel: $10,000
Estevan Payan: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
def. Michael Bravo: $6,000
Payout Perspective:
Some high priced fighters on this very last Strikeforce card: Barnett and Mousasi with six figure show salaries. Daniel Cormier and Ronaldo Souza made six figures with their win bonuses. Its interesting to see Barnett with such a high purse. Also, Roger Gracie receiving a $47,000/$47,000 deal. We’ll see how many on this roster will make the UFC.
I think, there should be at least some unofficial rule to prevent such disparity in wages. In example: If your opponent gets more than 10x (or another logical number, 5?) amount what you get (in this case fights Cormier-Staring, Barnett-Guelmino), then you have no place in the cage with him, because it is a clear squash match and comission maybe could say no to this – discrepancy in skill, experience and wage is too big and it is not really safe.
Solution: Either not make one-side matches like this, or at least pay a lot more to guys who are brought in to lose.
They are still paying Mike Kyle peanuts; no wonder he retired. Same take as when he fought BigFoot. I remember they offered him a flat rate, or a win bonus. He said that taking a flat pay is like betting against yourself, I take it he didn’t bet against himself against. Dude had a good record at LHW in strikeforce. I really wanted to see him fight in the UFC. His DQ is a win in my book. Thanks for everything Mike!!!! You were one of a kind! You will be missed.
And to the person who says there needs to be a pay ratio:Look how much Jardine made when he thrashed Liddell. The ratio was something like 30or40-1.
Pay ratio doesnt make sense. The commission has the power to veto any match they feel is a large mismatch. In fact they did this when Pride tried to pull off a crappy fight some years back. You guys need to realize people are paid their salary for many reasons. Not just how good they are or skill. Why should a fight not happen because one agent was better than the other or one guy is more popular? Or in this case Old Strikforce over paid a shit pile of fighters and Zuffa is stuck paying them.
Just because you never heard of a guy doesnt make it a mismatch and neither does their pay. I guess you guys would have never Allowed Dos Santos to fight Werdum. Who is this Santos guy? Look at his pay he must be a can! Why is he fighting a top 10 fighter? Opps the fight is over already? That was fast! lol
Let the match makers do their job. There was no reason for Zuffa to give Showtime any good fights or risk big name fighters losing under the SF banner when they have plans for them in the UFC. Lets not act like this is the typical situation and Zuffa does this all the time.
Good luck to Josh Barnett. No way Zuffa offers him $250k per fight, and I’d have to think he wouldn’t be able to make that kind of money anywhere else. Bellator has shown that they won’t offer MORE than Zuffa, and the Japanese scene is in disarray (and most Japanese promotions’ checks can’t be trusted). I hope that Zuffa at least makes an attempt to bring him in, but I fear that he may scoff at whatever offer they’d make, and that he might have an unrealistic idea of what his earning power is in today’s MMA landscape. Pro-wrestling is always an option for him, but it seems like he’s not done fighting yet.
I’m a little surprised that Josh didn’t get more flack from the Athletic Commissions about fighting in the States, given his mutliple positive test results. Looks like he has turned thing around and I wish him the best wherever he ends up. I’d be very surprised if it is with Zuffa, though.
I cant stand the guy. I get that he loves pro wrestling but the guy is a horrible personality. There is nothing worse than someone who is just desperate for attention and Barnett keeps trying to find a way to get people to buy into his act but it is just so poorly done. He talks a lot of shit and no one takes him serious. You have these pro wrestlers who say stuff and they are good at it and make you really believe it. Then there is people like Barnett and Fans of Wrestlers who say almost the same thing and they just look foolish and come off as a parody. He is that pro wrestler than noon ever cares about no matter how many different characters they comeback as. Barnett changes his nick name and started out trying to be a good guy who is respectful then he tried to play the heel. The guy just doesnt realize he just isnt any good at it.
When i first started following MMA on the internet in the mid 90’s Josh Barnett had his own web page/blog type site. He would talk about Pro Wrestling and MMA and even did his MMA rankings. It was just a fan site. Barnett is just a big fan of both but his main love is Pro Wrestling. The problem is he just isnt any good at it and is to big a fan to give it up. As a fight fan it gets real old seeing him audition his poor pro wrestling act in a real sport. He doesnt even sell it as his real comments or animosity. At least Chael Sonnen makes you believe what he says and comes off like real beef with his opponents that you would expect to hear between two people about to fight. Barnett says stuff you would only hear in pro wrestling.
I bet Barnett hates Chael Sonnen. Barnett tries so hard to be a pro wrestler and it just comes natural to Chael. lol
@ Brain Smasher
Josh could probably use a PR guy who could help him craft his message and re-define what he should be about at this point.
Also: what was the deal with the hair?