UFC News: Brock Lesnar's astonishing earnings per fight revealed
What's the story?
Brock Lesnar may have only fought a handful of bouts (5-3-1) for the UFC but he is still recognized as one of the most gifted ufc heavyweight champion of all time. The WWE Superstar's contributions in introducing UFC to new audiences has immensely helped MMA grow into a rabidly followed sport across the globe.
But how much did the Beast Incarnate get paid during his time with the UFC? New reports suggest that Lesnar got paid more per fight than what was previously imagined.
In case you didn't know...
Before Conor McGregor came to the fore and helped in skyrocketing the monetary gains of the UFC, Brock Lesnar was the undisputed top draw of the promotion. The PPVs he featured in sold the most and the buys reached record-setting figures.
It was always believed that Brock Lesnar made $250,000 per fight when he first debuted at UFC 81. Just to put it into perspective, other fighters on the UFC 81 card didn't even make half of what he pocketed. His earnings increased as he became successful and managed to capture the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Brock Lesnar was guaranteed a pay packet of $1.65 Million and it didn't matter if he won or lost the fight.
This was excluding the fight purse, which went up to $400,000 for his UFC 100 showdown against Frank Mir. It was additionally stated that he made $2 Million for UFC's 100th event.
These revelations were made in court documents released as part of the ongoing legal battles between UFC and many former UFC fighters, also known as the UFC Antitrust Lawsuit.
More figures regarding Brock Lesnar's pay scheme were revealed in Hal J. Singer's (Plaintiffs' expert witness) Expert Report.
The heart of the matter
The Expert Report has revealed that Lesnar made $750,000 per fight as a non-champion, which was paid in two installments via a company named DEATHCLUTCH.
He would receive the first half 30 days after the fight and the second once 60 days had gone by.
Here are the official transcripts from the documents via writer and lawyer Jason Cruz:
For each and every bout, in which Fighter participates where he is not recognized as a UFC Champion, by Zuffa, within thirty (30) days following the completion of each Bout, as contemplated in Section 7.1 (c) of the Promotional Agreement, Zuffa shall pay to DEATHCLUTCH, via bank wire or check, the amount of Three Hundred Seventy Five Thousand Dollars (US $375,000.00), less all permissible or required deductions and withholdings.
Within sixty (60) days following the completion of each Bout, as contemplated in Section 7.1 (c) of the Promotional Agreement, Zuffa shall pay to DEATHCLUTCH, via bank wire or check, the additional amount of Three Hundred Seventy Five Thousand Dollars (US $375,000), less all permissible or required deductions and withholdings for a total combined payment of Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars (US $750,000.00).
...an agreement with Brock Lesnar that specifies lump sums to be paid conditional on champion status (“For each and every bout, in which Fighter participates where he is recognized as a UFC Champion by Zuffa, within thirty (30) days following the completion of each Bout, as contemplated in Section 7.1 (a) of the Promotional Agreement Zuffa shall pay to DEATHCLUCTH, via bank wire or check, the amount of Eight Hundred Twelve Thousand Five Hundred Dollars (US $812,500.00), less permissible or required deductions and withholdings.
Within sixty (60) days following the completion of each Bout, as contemplated in Section 7.1 (a) of the Promotional Agreement, Zuffa shall pay to DEATHCLUTCH, via bank wire or check, the additional amount of Eight Hundred Twelve Thousand Five Hundred Dollars (US $812,500.00), less all permissible or required deductions and withholdings, for a total combined payment of One Million Six Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars (US $1,625,000.000).
If all of the figures are tallied and his UFC tenure is taken into consideration, Brock Lesnar's net worth got increased by approximately $7,857,000 from fighting for the promotion from 2008 to 2011.
What's next?
Brock Lesnar is scheduled to defend the WWE Universal Championship against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam on August 11th. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion has seemingly retired from MMA and a return to the Octagon is a highly unlikely phenomenon going forward.
Even if it comes down to the money, Vince McMahon has enough in the bank to keep Brock Lesnar satisfied and quite possibly, one of the richest talents on the WWE roster.