UFC Fort Lauderdale salaries: Greg Hardy cashes $150,000 for first UFC win

Former NFL All-Pro Greg Hardy cashed a six-figure payday for his first Octagon win at UFC Fort Lauderdale.

The Florida State Boxing Commission released the event’s finalized salary information on Tuesday to MMA Fighting.

Hardy, a controversial former defensive end for the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys, scored a first-round knockout over Dmitrii Smoliakov in the night’s co-main event. The 30-year-old heavyweight prospect earned a $150,000 purse for his first UFC victory, while Smoliakov earned just $10,000 in defeat.

UFC Fort Lauderdale took place April 27 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. The night’s main card aired live on ESPN+.

The leading earners on the card were Ronaldo Souza and Glover Teixeira, two Brazilian veterans who both cashed $210,000 paydays for their work. Souza lost a decision to Jack Hermansson ($82,000) in the night’s main event, while Teixeira submitted light heavyweight prospect Ion Cutelaba ($22,000) in a main card affair.

Aside from those fighters, only three other UFC Phoenix athletes cleared the six-figure mark in earnings: Andrei Arlovski ($300,000), Jim Miller ($180,000), and Mike Perry ($110,000).

In addition to their commission-reported salaries, Teixeira, Miller, Perry, and Oliveira also took home $50,000 fight night bonuses for their performances.

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

Main Card (ESPN+)
Jack Hermansson ($41,000 + $41,000 = $82,000) def. Ronaldo Souza ($210,000)
Greg Hardy ($75,000 + $75,000 = $150,000) def. Dmitrii Smoliakov ($10,000)
Mike Perry ($55,000 + $55,000 = $110,000) def. Alex Oliveira ($64,000)
Glover Teixeira ($105,000 + $105,000 = $210,000) def. Ion Cutelaba ($22,000)
Cory Sandhagen ($33,000 + $33,000 = $66,000) def. John Lineker ($49,000)
Roosevelt Roberts ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) def. Thomas Gifford ($10,000)

Preliminary Card (ESPN)
Takashi Sato ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) def. Ben Saunders ($35,000)
Augusto Sakai ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) def. Andrei Arlovski ($300,000)
Carla Esparza ($45,000 + $45,000 = $90,000) def. Virna Jandiroba ($12,000)
Gilbert Burns ($44,000 + $44,000 = $88,000) def. Mike Davis ($12,000)

Preliminary Card (ESPN 2)
Jim Miller ($90,000 + $90,000 = $180,000) def. Jason Gonzalez ($12,000)
Angela Hill ($24,000 + $24,000 = $48,000) def. Jodie Esquibel ($10,000)
Dhiego Lima ($17,000 + $17,000 = $34,000) def. Court McGee ($48,000)