Former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua took home the largest disclosed payday from UFC on Fox 4 on Saturday night, banking $240,000 for defeating Brandon Vera in the evening's main event.
Also featured on the main card, submission ace Joe Lauzon ($48,000) put his grappling skills to good use against Jamie Varner ($12,000), catching the former WEC champion in a third-round triangle choke. Additionally, Mike Swick ($86,000) returned from over two years on the shelf to open the Fox broadcast in style, overcoming a tough first round to knock out DaMarques Johnson ($18,000) in the second frame of their welterweight contest.
Light heavyweight talent Phil Davis ($30,000) and ex-WEC featherweight contender Manny Gamburyan ($36,000) topped the disclosed undercard salaries. Davis' bout with Brazilian prospect Wagner Prado ($16,000) ended in a no-contest when Prado was accidentally poked in the eye after just 88 seconds of cage time. Meanwhile, Gamburyan grabbed a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over former Sengoku standout Michihiro Omigawa ($11,000) to halt a three-fight skid.
Note: The disclosed purses reported by state athletic commissions do not include any performance-based or discretionary bonuses that may be awarded to a fighter by the promotion. Additionally, the reported figures do not reflect any deductions made by the commission for taxes, insurance, etc., and do not include any sponsorship money or pay-per-view percentages that a fighter may acquire for their performance.
UFC on Fox 4 Salaries:
Mauricio Rua: $240,000
(Includes $70,000 win bonus)
Brandon Vera: $70,000
Lyoto Machida: $200,000
(No win bonus)
Ryan Bader: $47,000
Joe Lauzon: $48,000
(Includes $24,000 win bonus)
Jamie Varner: $12,000
Mike Swick: $86,000
(Includes $43,000 win bonus)
DaMarques Johnson: $18,000
Nam Phan: $20,000
(Includes $10,000 win bonus)
Cole Miller: $21,000
Phil Davis: $30,000
Wagner Prado: $16,000
Rani Yahya: $24,000
(Includes $12,000 win bonus)
Josh Grispi: $15,000
Philip De Fries: $20,000
(Includes $10,000 win bonus)
Oli Thompson: $8,000
Manny Gamburyan: $36,000
(Includes $18,000 win bonus)
Michihiro Omigawa: $11,000
John Moraga: $18,000
(Includes $9,000 win bonus)
Ulysses Gomez: $8,000