An expert report recently unsealed in the UFC anti-trust case reveals strong clues to the pay of top stars such as Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, Jon Jones and others between 2011-2016.
Among the largest paydays indicated by the report is McGregor, who appears to have made approximately $25 million in bouts during that time period, which included his fights against Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Nate Diaz, and Eddie Alvarez.
The report, authored by anti-trust expert Robert Blair, was commissioned by defense attorneys for Zuffa to counter experts hired by a group of fighters who are suing the promotion for anti-competitive business practices between 2011-2016; the case is expected to go to trial in April. The report initially was redacted before Nevada federal judge Richard Boulware ordered it to be resubmitted to the court without the omissions.
The appendix of the report includes a table from “internal Zuffa bout compensation” that lists the year, compensation, and how many fighters were receiving that compensation for the number of their UFC bouts. It does not identify any fighter by name, so it’s impossible to confirm iden****** using the report alone. However, when aligned with historical data, fighter interviews, and other sources of information from the anti-trust suit, it strongly suggests the recipients of the UFC’s biggest paydays, which are weighted toward the stars atop a fight card.
In several cases, MMA Fighting listed the top two payouts from the report as the most likely salary for certain stars and certain fights. BloodyElbow.com first reported the expert report and several of the paydays revealed in the appendix.
Among the largest paydays indicated by the report is McGregor, who appears to have made approximately $25 million in bouts during that time period, which included his fights against Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Nate Diaz, and Eddie Alvarez.
The report, authored by anti-trust expert Robert Blair, was commissioned by defense attorneys for Zuffa to counter experts hired by a group of fighters who are suing the promotion for anti-competitive business practices between 2011-2016; the case is expected to go to trial in April. The report initially was redacted before Nevada federal judge Richard Boulware ordered it to be resubmitted to the court without the omissions.
The appendix of the report includes a table from “internal Zuffa bout compensation” that lists the year, compensation, and how many fighters were receiving that compensation for the number of their UFC bouts. It does not identify any fighter by name, so it’s impossible to confirm iden****** using the report alone. However, when aligned with historical data, fighter interviews, and other sources of information from the anti-trust suit, it strongly suggests the recipients of the UFC’s biggest paydays, which are weighted toward the stars atop a fight card.
In several cases, MMA Fighting listed the top two payouts from the report as the most likely salary for certain stars and certain fights. BloodyElbow.com first reported the expert report and several of the paydays revealed in the appendix.
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