SUMMARY
- Brock Lesnar was one of two fighters to have appeared at both UFC 100 and UFC 200.
- UFC 200, which took place on July 9, 2016, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Brock Lesnar is one of the biggest stars in the history of MMA and combat sports in general. Due to his illustrious career in the UFC and WWE, Lesnar is widely regarded as a megastar. As such, his fight purse and payouts from the UFC also indicate the same.
For those unaware, Lesnar was one of two fighters to have appeared at both UFC 100 and UFC 200. Whilst his fight against Frank Mir at UFC 100 was one for the history books, his return at UFC 200 against Mark Hunt was even greater. On the occasion, Brock was given a record-high $2.5 million payout for his co-main event. Whilst 13 other fighters got six-figure payouts, Brock was clearly a step ahead of the rest.
UFC 200, which took place on July 9, 2016, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, was a historic event and one that was centered around Lesnar. Unfortunately, ‘The Beast Incarnate‘ saw his unanimous decision victory over Hunt overturned into a no-contest. As it turns out, Brock had failed both an out-of-competition and a night-of-fight drug test.
Brock Lesnar’s insane UFC contract
Initially, Brock Lesnar was signed to the UFC in 2008. Then, on July 3, 2009, Lesnar signed another deal as the heavyweight champion coming into UFC 100. Due to the unsealed documents coming from the UFC antitrust lawsuit, the finer details of his contract are now available. Reportedly, Lesnar’s contract saw his fight purse for UFC 100 set at $1,500,000 with no win bonus and no cut of the PPV.
As per the contract, if still champion, Brock would have a purse of $1,375,000, with a pay-per-view cut of $2 per PPV buy over 700,000 buys. Notably, other champions at the time earned a PPV cut from a much lower PPV buy threshold. Similarly, if not a champion, Lesnar would get a reduced purse of $750,000 and a win bonus of $250,000, with no PPV cut.
Lowest pay in that class period: $4000
Highest payout: $8M for Lesnar
Full story with statistics and full payouts for 33 UFC champions that have been uncovered by @antontabuena and @heynottheface:https://t.co/h0tTSvitzf
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 15, 2023
All things considered, it was one of the biggest contracts of the time and came with additional benefits. Notably, Lesnar’s contract was the only one that included a hotel suite. Notably, his contract included 2 hotel or motel rooms, and 1 first class and 2 economy flights for his cornermen. To top it all off the WWE superstar would also get 10 free tickets for each fight within 10 rows of the Octagon.
Brock Lesnar is rumored to appear at UFC 300
All things considered, taking into account Brock Lesnar’s pay and the incidentals, the UFC shelled out a lot of money for the fighter. Notably, taking into account the 23 other fighters on the card, the promotion incurred a heavy cost of $7.5 million in fight purses to put on UFC 200. Even though they made a lot of money back, it is still a sizeable cost to fathom.
With that said, many have been projecting the cost of the upcoming UFC 300 event. Although the card is still under work, we already have a relatively stacked lineup. Currently, the main card is said to have a women’s strawweight title fight and a BMF title fight as well. Additionally, Dana White revealed Holly Holm vs. Kayla Harrison on the card as well.
With that said, the card is rumored to feature two more title fights. Previously, there were rumors of Brock Lesnar returning to fight Tom Aspinall at UFC 300. Whilst many suggested that a potential fight would have the people off their seats, White has shot down the idea. However, the 46-year-old may still appear at the event, presumably as an honorary guest.