The most emotion Mousasi showed(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
When I first saw the payout numbers for last Saturday's Strikeforce: Carano versus Cyborg on MMA Weekly, I assumed the pay next to newly crowned Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi was a mistake.
Mousasi, while not the most well known fighter on this side of the Atlantic, has generated quite a reputation abroad and hard core MMA fans were excited to see how he'd stand up to then champion Renato Sobral. According to the report, Mousasi walked straight through Babalu for $2,000. No win bonus. No knockout of the night bonus, even though that was exactly what it was. Just $2,000.
Then, the MMA Junkie report on the payouts said the same thing. Gegard Mousasi fought for the Strikeforce title for less than what some of the fighters on the undercard were making.
I understand that Gegard never gets excited for any reason, but he really needs to consider showing some interest in his own pay. If Mousasi can put out more performances like his victory on Saturday, he may find himself with an offer from the UFC in his hand, and they pay a lot more than $2,000 for major contenders who are fan favorites. When UFC president Dana White gives him a call, the stalwart Mousasi might even grin.
Mousasi after winning the Strikeforce light heavyweight title:
Full list of Strikeforce payouts:
Main Card
Cristiane Santos $25,000 (includes $5,000 win bonus) defeats Gina Carano $125,000
Gegard Mousasi $2,000 defeats Renato Sobral $75,000
Gilbert Melendez $50,000 defeats Mitsuhiro Ishida $30,000
Fabricio Werdum $50,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus) defeats Mike Kyle $14,000
Undercard
Jay Hieron $55,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus) defeats Jesse Taylor $12,000
Scott Lighty $4,000 defeats Mike Cook $2,500
Justin Wilcox $5,000 (including $2,500 win bonus) defeats David Douglas $5,500
James Terry $6,000 (including $3,000 win bonus) defeats Zak Bucia $2,000
Alex Trevino $3,500 (including $1,500 win bonus) defeats Isaiah Hill $2,000
Comments
While the CSAC officially reported $2000 for Mousasi, I'm sure most of the money was payed under the table to M-1 who then gave him his share. But even then I doubt he got what he deserved.
That's because M-1 gave the money that Gegard earned to Fedor and Vadim.
Lol, please tell me you don't really believe that Mousasi only fought for $2,000? Fighters always make some money that isn't reported by the commissions, even from Zuffa promotions.
This has been pretty regular business practice around M-1 and Red Devil fighters for years now.
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