UFC on FOX 17 Athlete Outfitting pay: Year-end payouts reach nearly $3.2 million

Rafael dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone

ORLANDO, Fla. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on FOX 17 event took home UFC Athlete Outfitting pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok, totaling $245,000.

The figure ties with November’s UFC 193 event as the second-highest total issued since the program’s launch in July and brings total payouts for the first half-year of the program to $3,182,500.

UFC on FOX 17 took place at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. In the main event, UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos needed just 66 seconds to dispatch of Donald Cerrone. As part of the UFC Athlete Outfitting policy, the champ took home $40,000 for his win, while Cerrone pocketed $30,000 in defeat.

A few veterans reached the top non-championship payout of $20,000, as Nate Diaz and Danny Castillo each have reached 21 or more bouts under the Zuffa banner. Diaz picked up a main-card win over Michael Johnson (and a “Fight of the Night” bonus), while Castillo came up short against Nik Lentz on the prelims.

The full UFC on FOX 17 UFC Athlete Outfitting payouts included:

Rafael dos Anjos: $40,000
def. Donald Cerrone: $30,000

Alistair Overeem: $5,000
def. Junior dos Santos: $10,000

Nate Diaz: $20,000
def. Michael Johnson: $10,000

Karolina Kowalkiewicz: $2,500
def. Randa Markos: $2,500

Charles Oliveira: $10,000
def. Myles Jury: $5,000

Nate Marquardt: $20,000
def. C.B. Dollaway: $15,000

Valentina Shevchenko: $2,500
def. Sarah Kaufman: $2,500

Tamdan McCrory: $5,000
def. Josh Samman: $2,500

Nik Lentz: $10,000
def. Danny Castillo: $20,000

Jim Alers: $2,500
vs. Cole Miller: $15,000

Kamaru Usman: $2,500
def. Leon Edwards: $2,500

Vicente Luque: $2,500
def. Hayder Hassan: $2,500

Francis Ngannou: $2,500
def. Luiz Henrique: $2,500

Under the new UFC Athlete Outfitting program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-5 bouts receive $2,500 per appearance; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive, in perpetuity royalty, payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

The Athlete Outfitting pay is supplemental to the fighters’ usual fight purses.

Full 2015 UFC-Reebok sponsorship payouts:

• “UFC on FOX 17: Dos Anjos vs. Cerrone” – $245,000
• “UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor” – $285,000
• “The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale: Edgar vs. Mendes” – $142,500
• “UFC Fight Night 80: VanZant vs. Namajunas” – $95,000
• “UFC Fight Night 79: Henderson vs. Masvidal” – $92,500
• “UFC Fight Night 78: Magny vs. Gastelum” – $130,000
• “UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm” – $245,000
• “UFC Fight Night 77: Belfort vs. Henderson 3” – $160,000
• “UFC Fight Night 76: Holohan vs. Smolka” – $62,500
• “UFC 192: Cormier vs. Gustafsson” – $192,500
• “UFC Fight Night 75: Barnett vs. Nelson” – $102,500
• “UFC 191: Johnson vs. Dodson 2” – $192,500
• “UFC Fight Night 74: Holloway vs. Oliveira” – $142,500
• “UFC Fight Night 73: Teixeira vs. Saint Preux” – $107,500
• “UFC 190: Rousey vs. Correia” – $202,500
• “UFC on FOX 16: Dillashaw vs. Barao 2” – $212,500
• “UFC Fight Night 72: Bisping vs. Leites” – $110,000
• “UFC Fight Night 71: Mir vs. Duffee” – $137,500
• “The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale: Ellenberger vs. Thompson” – $90,000
• “UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor” – $235,000

Year-to-date total: $3,182,500

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 17, check out the UFC Events section of the site.