UFC 196 may have lost its main event superfight between Conor McGregor and Rafael dos Anjos, but we’ve still got a pretty solid shindig on our hands this weekend. Aside from the quick entry of Nate Diaz, we’ve luckily managed to retain Miesha Tate, Holly Holm, and a pretty stacked undercard that’s looking rife with potential action.
Hopefully, no one slips in the shower or tests positive, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed. For now, let’s run down the main card talent, their most recent UFC salaries and Reebok payouts, and what it all means in the context of their upcoming bouts.
Note: Divisional rankings via Fight Matrix. UFC salaries and Reebok figures via MMA Payout and MMA Junkie.
Conor McGregor [#1 FW]
$540,000 = $500,000** + $40,000* [UFC 194]
Nate Diaz [#9 LW]
$60,000 = $20,000/$20,000 + $20,000* [UFC on Fox 17]
Analysis: We’ve said it before, but perhaps no fighter’s tenure in the UFC matches up to their disclosed pay as poorly as Nate Diaz. As a seasoned “Top 10” ranked lightweight with some comparatively big name value, it’s frankly appalling that his public Zuffa salary is half of what someone like Sage Northcutt makes.
About the only silver lining for Diaz is that he finally hit 21 UFC bouts last time around, so he’ll now make $20,000 in Reebok pay as a bare minimum no matter who he fights. And regardless of whether he beats Conor McGregor, one would think that Diaz should be making at least six figures just to step in on such short notice against the sport’s biggest star.
