GSP recently revealed what MMA fans have been wondering for years--how much the fighters actually take home compared to their published salaries. Missing the fight with Diaz/Condit cost him "$4- to $5-million", according to the man himself. GSP took home $200,000 show money and $200,000 win money for beating Josh Koscheck earlier this year. He also earns money from his sponsors, some on a per-fight basis and some year-round. GSP has some of the biggest sponsorship deals in the sport including being a spokesperson for Gatorade and Under Armour. What he gets from those is not disclosed, unlike the deals basketball players sign with Adidas or Nike that are widely advertised. Large sponsors are likely in the high six- to low seven-figure range per annum with smaller sponsors giving him in the tens of thousands per fight. Top performers also earn "locker-room bonuses". These are different than the official "of the night" bonuses the UFC regularly kicks out (usually between $60-100k). Locker room bonuses are undisclosed cheques cut by the UFC/Zuffa to fighters based on their performance and accumulated tenure. For example, GSP was given $500,000 plus a new car at UFC 65 when he defeated Matt Hughes. That was several years ago and the UFC is even more successful now. Locker room bonuses can stretch into seven-figures for the top guys depending on how big the event was and the impressiveness of their performance. The big money for a top UFC fighter comes from PPV revenue sharing. As the UFC's top draw (according to President Dana White, though there is some debate that Brock Lesnar is a bigger draw), GSP stands to earn dollars per pay-per-view buy. Randy Couture's old deal with the UFC saw him earn $1.5-million for a pay-per-view event that sold 500,000 views. It's likely that GSP's current deal eclipses Couture's old one and nets him up to double that amount. $200,000 to show $200,000 to win $2,500,000 PPV revenue sharing (based on 500,000 buys) $3,750,000 PPV revenue sharing (based on 750,000 buys) $750,000 "locker room bonus" $500,000 sponsor pay-outs --- $4.15- to $5.4-million per fight However it is important to consider that he has bills to pay with that money. His agent/manager charges roughly 3-4%. He has to front his own costs for training and physical conditioning, unlike pro athletes in team sports, which can run $100,000 for a champion-level 6-8 week training camp (includes facilities, top trainers, top sparring partners, and travel). He also pays income tax that can rise as high as 29% federal/24% provincial. Other UFC champs have similar expenses though some make their legal residence in a low-tax state such as Nevada. It is reasonable to figure GSP's take-home is at least $2.75-million/fight. Many wonder why top UFC earners make less than half of top boxers (Manny Pacquiao made $30-million in 2010). Consider that the UFC has been profitable since 2006 while boxers have been huge making money for decades.
