Below is the payout from Strikeforce’s Frank Shamrock vs Nick Diaz promotion as posted by MMA Junkie. You will notice a hugh difference between Nick Diaz’s payout and Frank Shamrock’s payout. This huge difference makes it very obvious that a big name is worth more today in MMA than a big win. Nick Diaz pretty much dominated Frank Shamrock in their fight, yet Shamrock made way more money than Nick Diaz…. way more even including Diaz’s win bonus. This basically tells me that Frank Shamrock has a much bigger fan draw for Strikeforce. After all, this is the entertainment business. He who brings in the people, makes the money, ask Kimbo Slice who made over a half a million dollars for getting knocked out in the first 14 seconds of his match with Seth Petruzelli. It’s sad but true, the best mixed martial artists aren’t always the ones making the best money, it’s the fan favorites.
Nick Diaz: $39,950 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Frank Shamrock: $369,790
Gilbert Melendez: $49,890 (no win bonus)
def. Rodrigo Damm: $9,190
Scott Smith: $49,940 (includes $25,000 win bonus)
def. Benji Radach: $16,940
Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos: $18,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Hitomi Akano: $1,450
Brett Rogers: $39,940 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
def. Ron “Abongo” Humphrey: $3,205
Luke Rockhold: $6,000 (includes $3,000 win bonus)
def. Buck Meredith: $1,540
Eric Lawson: $9,950 (includes $2,000 win bonus)
def. Waylon Kennell: $1,950
Raul Castillo: $7,890 (includes $3,500 win bonus)
def. Brandon Michaels: $1,500
James Terry: $3,940 (includes $2,000 win bonus)
def. Zak Bucia: $1,500
Shingo Kohara: $940 (no win bonus)
def. Jeremy Tavares: $940
Total Payout: $634,415
Attendance: 15, 211
Gate: $750,000 approx.