Fight purse leaks are often a topic of much controversy. Whilst many sources claim to have the correct figures for all MMA events, it is often not the case. For one, the approximate fight purses rarely include bonuses and sponsorship pay and do not account for taxation either.
Recently, following Fedor Emilianenko’s retirement fight at Bellator 290, estimated payouts for the event were revealed. However, former UFC and Bellator fighter Josh Thomson believes that the full payouts were not revealed to the public. Replying to a post about the payouts on Instagram, Thomson shared his thoughts.
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According to Thomson, the purses revealed by the California Commission do not tell the whole story. “People, this is not anywhere near what they make. I’ve done this several times in several promotions, the allows you to see what you make by disclosing a portion of their purse to the commission that later is public record. I was making close to 7 figures but only disclosed 10K-15K to the commission. These numbers aren’t anywhere near what they made and the media knows this.”
For the most part, the Bellator 290 fight purses were ‘laughable’ according to some fans. For his title defense against Fedor, Ryan Bader only made $150,000 whilst Fedor himself only took home $100,000. According to MMA Junkie, California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster disclosed the full list of fighter payouts from the event.
As such, fans piled on Bellator and Scott Coker on social media for the low payouts, with some claiming that the situation here seems worse than the UFC. However, others like “The Real Punk” believe that the released Bellator 290 fight purse does not accurately reflect what amount the fighters actually take home.
Did the commission “lie” about the Bellator 290 fight purse?
According to Josh Thomson, the reports only show a portion of what the fighters made. Being a former fighter in the organization from 2015 to 2017, Josh also testifies and gives reasoning for his beliefs. As such, he believes that the reports by the California State Athletic Commission only reflect the amounts that the fighters themselves have chosen to disclose.
Thus, he believes that other than the revealed amount, the fighters receive additional pay as well. However, Thomson’s comments have come under heavy scrutiny, especially after he states that he was making ‘close to 7 figures’ during his time with Bellator.
Fans have blasted Thomson’s comments stating that he is doing everything he can to prevent Bellator from looking bad. Many have also pointed out that Josh is currently an analyst with CBS and Showtime, who work closely with Bellator.
Moreover, many have also pointed out the former fighter’s bias towards Bellator, stating that he would previously criticize the UFC and Dana White after similar reports in the past.
Further, some also pointed out that Bellator was more than $100 million in debt from 2010 to 2018. Bellator’s revenue was reportedly revealed due to an anti-trust lawsuit, proving that there is no way for them to be paying Thomson, a non-champion, seven figures during that time.
Do you believe that the State Athletic Commission reports are accurate? What did you make of Josh Thomson’s comments? Are the comments about him being biased in favor of Bellator justified? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
