Bellator 199 salaries: Ryan Bader, ‘King Mo,’ Cheick Kongo cash $150,000 purses

A trio of heavyweight fighters led the disclosed payroll for Bellator 199, each earning $150,000 for their respective performances this past weekend. The California State Athletic Commission released the event’s finalized salary information Wednesday to MMA Fighting.

Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix participants Ryan Bader and Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal joined UFC veteran Cheick Kongo in cashing $150,000 paydays at Bellator 199. Bader defeated Lawal via 15-second knockout to advance to the semifinals of the heavyweight tournament, while Kongo defeated Javy Ayala via first-round knockout to earn his place as an alternate in the bracket.

Bellator 199 took place May 12 at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The night’s main card aired live on Paramount Network.

Notably, former WSOF/PFL welterweight champion Jon Fitch earned $120,000 for his successful Bellator debut against Paul Daley ($30,000). Fitch defeated Daley via unanimous decision.

A complete list of the Bellator 199 salaries can be seen below. As always, these figures do not represent a fighter’s total earnings, as certain sponsorship incomes or discretionary earnings are not publicly disclosed.

Main card (Paramount Network)
Ryan Bader ($150,000 + no win bonus = $150,000) def. Muhammed Lawal ($150,000)
Jon Fitch ($60,000 + $60,000 = $120,000) def. Paul Daley ($30,000)
Aaron Pico ($35,000 + $35,000 = $70,000) def. Lee Morrison ($12,000)
Cheick Kongo ($150,000 + no win bonus = $150,000) def. Javy Ayala ($30,000)
Adam Piccolotti ($18,000 + $18,000 = $36,000) def. Carrington Banks ($14,000)

Preliminary Card (MMA Fighting)
Deron Winn ($1,200 + $1,200 = $2,400) def. Ahmed White ($1,200)
Justin Tenedora ($1,500 + $1,500 = $3,000) def. David Rivera ($1,200)
Gaston Bolanos ($5,000 + no win bonus = $5,000) def. Malcolm Hill ($1,200)
James Terry ($3,000 + $3,000 = $6,000) def. Danasabe Mohammed ($1,500)
Amber Leibrock ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Janay Harding ($10,000)
Jordan Williams ($1,500 + $1,500 = $3,000) def. Brandon Hester ($1,750)

Dark Matches (Unaired)
Hyder Amil ($1,200 + $1,200 = $2,400) def. Elias Anderson ($1,200)
Ignacio Ortiz ($1,200 + $1,200 = $2,400) def. Matt Aragoni ($1,200)
Mark Climaco ($1,200 + $1,200 = $2,400) def. Daniel Oseguera ($1,200)
J.J. Okanovich ($1,200 + $1,200 = $2,400) def. Hugo Lujan ($1,200)
Thomas Ponce de Leon ($1,200 + $1,200 = $2,400) def. Dominic Sumner ($1,200)
Hohelin Hernandez ($1,500 + $1,500 = $3,000) def. Josh San Diego ($2,000)
Josh Paiva ($2,500 + $2,500 = $5,000) def. Adam Antolin ($2,500)
Cass Bell ($1,200 + $1,200 = $2,400) def. Khai Wu ($1,200)