Bellator 208 Payout
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Fighters from Saturday’s Bellator 220 event received a total payout of $920,750.
The usually boisterous Chael Sonnen was a bit tame in his Bellator 208 main event with Fedor Emelianenko. And “The Bad Guy” also displayed a more subdued side following the fight.
Prior to 2015, when president Scott Coker made the decision to drop the 8-man tournament format, Bellator fighters participated in a series of tournament bouts in a set weight class over a season (usually between 10 and 13 events over 3 or 4 months). The winners of these tournaments were crowned Bellator champions, with the winners of. Chael Sonnen and Fedor Emelianenko will main event Bellator 208 with a spot in the Heavyweight Grand Prix and a battle with Ryan Bader on the line. Here are the 10 things you should know about the. Fighters from Saturday’s Bellator 170 event earned disclosed payouts ranging from $1,500 to $300,000. Main-event winner Tito Ortiz (19-12-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA), who scored a submission win over Chael Sonnen (29-15-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in the light-heavyweight headliner, earned $300,000 as a flat rate, and his bout agreement didn’t call for a win bonus. Bellator 208 fight card, results Fedor Emelianenko def. Chael Sonnen via first-round TKO (strikes) Benson Henderson def. Saad Awad via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) Cheick Kongo def.
The 18-fight card, which took place at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., and streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie, saw more than 80 percent of the payout go to the main card fighters.
Bellator 208 Results
The biggest earner on the card was Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald (20-5-1 MMA, 2-1-1 BMMA), who netted a flat payout of $200,000 for his majority draw with Jon Fitch (32-7-2 MMA, 1-0-1 BMMA), who left with $140,000.
MacDonald’s contract is nearly triple that of undefeated women’s flyweight champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (10-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA), who got $75,000 for her third-round TKO of Veta Arteaga (5-3 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) in the co-headliner.
Other notable purses included former Bellator champ Phil Davis (20-5 MMA, 7-2 BMMA), who walked away with $160,000, and former UFC champ Benson Henderson (27-8 MMA, 4-3 BMMA), who was contracted at a flat $100,000.
Check out the complete Bellator 220 salary list below:
Rory MacDonald: $200,000 (no win bonus)
vs. Jon Fitch: $140,000 (no win bonus)
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane: $75,000 (no win bonus)
def. Veta Arteaga: $40,000
Benson Henderson: $100,000 (no win bonus)
def. Adam Piccolotti: $22,000
Phil Davis: $160,000 (includes $80,000 win bonus)
def. Liam McGeary: $75,000
How Much Does Bellator Pay
Gaston Bolanos: $15,000 (no win bonus)
def. Nathan Stolen: $10,000
Aviv Gozali: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Travis Crain: $1,200
Brandon Faumui: $3,000 (includes $1,500 win bonus)
def. Chris Avila: $5,000
Matt Perez: $2,400 (includes $1,200 win bonus)
def. Justin Tenedora: $3,000
Cass Bell: $10,000 (includes $5,000 win bonus)
def. Peter Ishiguro: $1,200
Chuck Campbell: $3,000 (includes $1,500 win bonus)
def. Bruno Casillas: $1,500
Hyder Amil: $3,000 (includes $1,500 win bonus)
def. Paradise Vaovasa: $1,750
Josh San Diego: $4,000 (includes $2,000 win bonus)
def. Brandon Laroco: $1,500
Jordan Williams: $3,500 (includes $1,750 win bonus)
def. Diego Herzog: $2,500
Abraham Vaesau: $3,000 (includes $1,500 win bonus)
def. Justin Roswell: $2,000
Chris Inocencio: $2,400 (includes $1,200 win bonus)
def. Boris Novachkov: $1,200
Tom Ponce de Leon: $3,000 (includes $1,500 win bonus)
def. Jamario Mulder: $1,200
Ignacio Ortiz: $1,500
vs. Roger Severson: $1,500
Jon Adams: $1,200
vs. Erick Gunha: $1,200
Now, the usual disclaimer: The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors. They also do not include any other “locker room” or special discretionary bonuses Bellator could pay.
In other words, the above figures are simply base salaries reported to the commission and do not reflect entire compensation packages for the event.
For complete coverage of Bellator 220, check out the MMA Events section of the site.