Netflix jumping into live MMA was always going to be chaotic, and they chose the perfect card to accomplish this. MVP’s first-ever MMA event at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles revolves almost entirely around nostalgia, violence, and huge personalities. Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano alone feels like something fans have wanted for over a decade.
And the rest of the card isn’t exactly quiet either. Francis Ngannou, Nate Diaz, Mike Perry, and a number of other well-known stars are a part of the spectacle, suggesting the money involved is probably massive as well. Even though promotions rarely release official purses before the event, based on historical payouts and recent deals, we can surely make some very accurate predictions about who’s cashing the biggest checks. So, let’s find out!
Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano’s payout
This whole event basically revolves around Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano finally sharing a cage. Rousey’s financial success story remains one of the most impressive in MMA history. Court filings from the UFC antitrust lawsuit revealed that she earned between $15 million and $17 million during her UFC career.
Her highest payday came against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207, where ‘Rowdy’ reportedly earned $4.8 million, while the Holly Holm bout brought in approximately $4.4 million. Now, with this fight being promoted as a historic event, there’s a good chance she’ll get another paycheck close to those numbers again.
Gina Carano’s previous MMA earnings were much smaller in comparison. She recently stated that her first MMA bout landed her only $1,000, and her legendary Strikeforce fight against Cris Cyborg reportedly paid her only $120,000. However, the situation has clearly changed now.
The 44-year-old also once revealed the UFC offered her $1 million flat to fight Rousey years ago. Given that Netflix and MVP are heavily backing this card, she’ll most certainly earn around that amount, if not more, for her comeback.
As such, one report from bet365 estimates the total purse of the main event bout to be around $7 million, with $5 million going to Rousey and an estimated $2 million going to Carano. While the base pay isn’t too big, there may be Netflix bonuses involved that could push the actual numbers further up.
Nate Diaz, Francis Ngannou, and payouts for other Netflix MMA fighters
Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry is THE fight that guarantees chaos, which is exactly why fans are excited for it. ‘The Stockton Slugger’ reportedly earned between $3 million and $4 million for his two Conor McGregor fights, while his Jake Paul boxing match reportedly got him close to $20 million.
But since this isn’t ‘The Problem Child’ but Mike Perry that he’s facing, this bout won’t reach that level of pay, but Nate Diaz is still expected to land another massive payday. However, during a conversation on the JRE podcast in March, Brendan Schaub told Joe Rogan that he heard that Nate Diaz was being paid $10 million for his Mike Perry bout to which Rogan exclaimed, “I heard it was more. That’s wild.” While that remains unconfirmed, you never know.
Meanwhile, ‘Platinum’ has also made significant amount of money since leaving the UFC. His BKFC contract is reported to be worth $8 million, while his Jake Paul bout reportedly netted him between $2 million and $3 million. So, for this one, he will surely earn well over a million for sure.
His opponent, Philipe Lins, will obviously not reach those figures, but he has had his own fair share of financial success, receiving $1 million for winning the PFL heavyweight tournament in 2018. So, considering he is facing one of the greatest heavyweights to ever grace the Octagon, it will be another million-dollar payday for the fighter.
Elsewhere on the card, names like Junior dos Santos and Salahdine Parnasse are expected to earn significant veteran paychecks, especially since Netflix is apparently going all-in on making this event feel massive.
According to MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian, all fighters on the card will be paid a guarenteed minimum of $40,000, more than the UFC’s typical introductory fighter pay of $12,000 to show and $12,000 to win.
This only proves that this is more than just another MMA card. Netflix is experimenting with whether live MMA can become mainstream entertainment on its platform. And when there is so much attention and money at stake, the fighters usually win big too.
