If newly-minted free agent Alistair Overeem wants an upgrade over his last UFC deal, it's safe to say he's about to get paid. Overeem handily led the field at UFC on FOX 17, scoring a $542,857 payday for an upset win over Junior dos Santos in the final fight of the Dutchman's Zuffa contract, according to figures released to MMA Fighting on Monday by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Overeem knocked out dos Santos ($400,000) with a vicious second-round volley of strikes in the night's heavyweight co-main event, which took place Dec. 19 and aired live on FOX. UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos ($300,000) defended his belt with a 66-second win over Donald Cerrone ($79,000) in the night's main event.
UFC on FOX 17 was held at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL. The show marked the final note on an extremely successful 2015 campaign for the UFC.
Notably, lightweight contender Nate Diaz took home just $40,000 for his entertaining main card victory over Michael Johnson ($30,000), tying him with C.B. Dollaway for eighth on the event's earnings list. Diaz, a popular fighter whose relationship with the UFC has appeared strained at times, has fought 21 times for the promotion since debuting in 2007, winning 13 of those bouts.
In addition to their commission-reported salaries, dos Anjos, Diaz, Johnson, and undercard winner Vicente Luque all scored $50,000 fight night bonuses for their performances.
A complete list of the UFC on FOX 17 salaries can be seen below. As always, these figures do not represent a fighter's total earnings, as certain sponsorship incomes, contract clauses, or discretionary post-fight bonuses are not publicly disclosed.
Main Card (FOX)
Rafael dos Anjos ($300,000 + no win bonus = $300,000) def. Donald Cerrone ($79,000)
Alistair Overeem ($342,857 + $200,000 = $542,857) def. Junior dos Santos ($400,000)
Nate Diaz ($20,000 + $20,000 = $40,000) def. Michael Johnson ($30,000)
Karolina Kowalkiewicz ($13,000 + $13,000 = $26,000) def. Randa Markos ($12,000)
Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1)
Charles Oliveira ($29,600* + $37,000 = $66,600) def. Myles Jury ($30,000)
Nate Marquardt ($49,000 + $49,000 = $98,000) def. C.B. Dollaway ($40,000)
Valentina Shevchenko ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) def. Sarah Kaufman ($22,000)
Tamdan McCrory ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) def. Josh Samman ($10,000)
Nik Lentz ($35,000 + $35,000 = $70,000) def. Danny Castillo ($39,000)
Cole Miller ($33,000) vs. Jim Alers ($10,000) ruled a no contest
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Kamaru Usman ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) def. Leon Edwards ($15,000)
Vicente Luque ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Hayder Hassan ($10,000)
Francis Ngannou ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Luiz Henrique ($10,000)
*Forfeited 20-percent of show purse for missing weight
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