Rashad Evans will ring in the new year with gold and green.
The UFC’s new light heavyweight champion earned $130,000 for his third-round TKO of
Forrest Griffin during the promotion’s year-end bonanza at UFC 92 “The Ultimate 2008” in Las Vegas.
Griffin, who waged an effective strategy of leg kicks and punches until he was taken down, took home $100,000. “The Ultimate Fighter” winners both pocketed an extra $60,000 in bonus pay for “fight of the night.”
Revenge was both sweet and lucrative for the recently troubled
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who knocked out former Pride Fighting Championships rival
Wanderlei Silva shortly into the first round of their third affair. Jackson’s stiff left hook came with a $325,000 price tag, not including the extra $60,000 that Zuffa brass handed out for “knockout of the night.”
Silva had little time to try and re-create his vicious knockouts of Jackson from 2003 and 2004 in Japan. The Brazilian earned $200,000 for his fourth stumble in five fights.
Frank Mir managed to pull off one of the bigger –- if not the biggest –- upsets of the year with his second-round TKO of the resilient
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira -- the Brazilian’s first stoppage ever. Mir’s performance, which has led him to his second UFC title since he began with the promotion in 2001, banked $90,000 and the opportunity to face UFC heavyweight champion
Brock Lesnar in 2009.
Rashad Evans -- $130,00 (including $65,000 bonus)
def.
Forrest Griffin -- $100,000
Frank Mir -- $90,000 (including $45,000 bonus)
def.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira –- $250,000
Quinton Jackson -- $325,000 (including $100,000 bonus)
def.
Wanderlei Silva –- $200,000
CB Dollaway -- $20,000 (including $10,000 bonus)
def.
Mike Massenzio -- $5,000
Cheick Kongo -- $90,000 (including $45,000 bonus)
def.
Mustapha al Turk -- $7,000
Yushin Okami -- $32,000 (including $16,000 bonus)
def.
Dean Lister -- $19,000
Antoni Hardonk -- $28,000 (including $14,000 bonus)
def.
Mike Wessel -- $4,000
Matt Hamill -- $20,000 (including $10,000 bonus)
def.
Reese Andy -- $15,000
Brad Blackburn -- $14,000 (including $7,000 bonus)
def.
Ryo Chonan -- $18,000
Patrick Barry -- $10,000 (including $5,000 bonus)
def.
Dan Evensen -- $4,000
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