UFC 92 scores big with 14,103 attendees and $3.47 million live gate
LAS VEGAS - "UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008," which took place Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, drew 14,103 attendees for a hefty live gate of $3.47 million.
UFC President Dana White announced the figures in a post-event press conference. Official figures from the Nevada State Athletic Commission will be released in the following week.
"The biggest card of the year lived up to the hype," White said. "It was a great night."
UFC 92, the UFC's final event of 2008, saw the crowning of two new champions; Rashad Evans defeated former champ Forrest Griffin for the UFC light heavyweight title, and Frank Mir topped former title-holder Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the interim heavyweight belt.
The gate and attendance figures were off slightly from last month's UFC 91 event, which also took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. UFC officials initially predicted the event would break the organization's live-gate record, but it fell just short with $4.82 million (and 14,272 attendees).
The gate ultimately ranked fourth in UFC history. UFC 66, which accounted for a $5.4 million gate in December 2006, still holds the record.
Among the 12 UFC events that have taken place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, UFC 92's live gate ranks fifth all-time. The full list includes:
UFC EVENTS AT MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA*
- UFC 66: $5.40 million gate (13,761 attendees), Liddell vs. Ortiz II
- UFC 91: $4.82 million (14,262), Couture vs. Lesnar
- UFC 71: $4.30 million (14,728), Liddell vs. Jackson
- UFC 84: $3.73 million (14,773), Penn vs. Sherk
- UFC 92: $3.47 million (14,103), Griffin vs. Evans
- UFC 52: $2.58 million (14,500), Couture vs. Liddell II
- UFC 54: $2.33 million (13,000), Liddell vs. Horn
- UFC 56: $1.99 million (12,000), Franklin vs. Quarry
- UFC 40: $1.54 million (13,055), Ortiz vs. K. Shamrock
- UFC 49: $1.29 million (12,100), Ortiz vs. Couture
- UFC 36: $0.89 million (10,000), Barnett vs. Couture
- UFC 34: $0.50 million (9,000), Hughes vs. Newton
* - Some attendance figures are estimated.
UFC 92 bonuses: Evans, Griffin and Jackson each earn $60K
LAS VEGAS - Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson each earned $60,000 "fight night" bonuses for their performances at "UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008."
UFC 92 took place Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and aired live on pay-per-view. The bonus amounts were equal to the $60,000 awards issued at UFC 91 in November.
The UFC announced the bonuses at the UFC 92 post-fight press conference and were confirmed by
MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com).
The light-heavyweight title clash between former "TUF" winners Griffin and Evans was deemed by many to be a 50-50 proposition. The size of Griffin and the speed of Evans made for an interesting contrast, and it was the former champion who dominated the early stages of the fight. Evans battled through a steady dose of low kicks from Griffin and capitalized on his first real opportunity to ground-and-pound his way to the belt in the third round. The exciting, tension-filled main event was impressive enough to earn both participants a share of the evening's "Fight of the Night."
While not one of the evening's two co-main events, the light-heavyweight showdown between UFC and PRIDE veterans Jackson and Silva was not short on emotion or consequence for the two involved combatants. Having suffered consecutive highlight-reel-worthy knockout losses to Silva in 2003 and 2004, Jackson had revenge on his mind. The message was delivered with a devastating left hook. The blow left Silva unconscious and Jackson with the evening's "Knockout of the Night."
The evening's 10-bout card ended without a single submission. As such, no "Submission of the Night" was issued. "The Ultimate 2008" was the first UFC event to end without a submission since UFC Fight Night 7 on Dec. 13, 2006.
UFC 92 salaries: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson top earner with $325K
After an impressive knockout win over longtime rival Wanderlei Silva, former UFC light-heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson also received the highest reported payday at this past weekend's "UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008" event with a $325,000 fight purse.
MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) today requested and received the list of official salaries from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Other top earners include Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira ($250,000), Wanderlei Silva ($200,000) and new light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans ($130,000). The total disclosed payroll for the event was a hefty $1,381,000.
The event took place this past Saturday, Dec. 27, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and aired live on pay per view.
The full list of salaries included:
Rashad Evans: $130,000 (includes $65,000 win bonus) def. Forrest Griffin: $100,000
Frank Mir: $90,000 (includes $45,000 win bonus) def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: $250,000
Quinton Jackson: $325,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus) def. Wanderlei Silva: $200,000
C.B. Dollaway: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Mike Massenzio: $5,000
Cheick Kongo: $90,000 (includes $45,000 win bonus) def: Mostapha Al Turk: $7,000
Yushin Okami: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus) def. Dean Lister: $19,000
Antoni Hardonk: $28,000 (includes $14,000 win bonus) def. Mike Wessel: $4,000
Matt Hamill: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Reese Andy: $15,000
Brad Blackburn: $14,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus) vs. Ryo Chonan: $18,000
Patrick Barry: $10,000 (includes $5,000 win bonus) Dan Evensen: $4,000
Now, the usual disclaimer: the figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, which can oftentimes be a substantial portion of a fighter's income. They also do not include any other "locker room" or special bonuses the UFC oftentimes pays.
In other words, these are simply base salaries reported to the commission and do not reflect entire compensation packages for the event.
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