UFC 187 Salaries: Daniel Cormier Earns $180,000 for Light Heavyweight Title Win

Defending UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman and light heavyweight challenger Anthony Johnson topped the list of UFC 187 fighter salaries, earning $500,000 each for their performances. At the same time, Daniel Cormier, who submitted Johnson for the light heavyweight title, took in only $180,000 for his effort.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission revealed the numbers Tuesday to Matt Erickson and Steven Marrocco of MMA Junkie. 

The reported salaries are base salaries only and do not include post-fight bonuses, money paid by sponsors, or deductions for taxes, licensing or insurance.

Johnson appeared to come out the best considering the circumstances, earning as much money in a loss as Weidman did for successfully defending his belt against Vitor Belfort. Belfort made $300,000 in base salary in defeat, out-earning Cormier's base salary by $120,000.

The lowest-earning competitor on the evening's card was lightweight Leo Kuntz, who earned $10,000 for his submission loss to Islam Makhachev on the deep end of the undercard.

"

My two biggest takeaway from UFC 187 salaries: 1) "Rumble" Johnson got paid, son. 2) The two debuting fighters on card had $10k/$10k deals.

— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) May 26, 2015"

A fight between Rose Namajunas and Nina Ansaroff was called off at the last minute when Ansaroff became ill. After receiving 20 percent of Ansaroff's purse as a penalty, Namajunas pocketed $52,000 without fighting. Ansaroff earned $8,000.

John Locher/Associated Press

The salary numbers came out at a time when fighter pay is a hot topic in MMA circles. A recent deal between the UFC and Reebok has come under fire, as some fighters have claimed their take-home pay will decrease as part of the deal.

Full UFC 187 payout numbers are as follows:

Daniel Cormier: $180,000 (including $90,000 win bonus)
Anthony Johnson: $500,000

Chris Weidman: $500,000 (including $250,000 win bonus)
Vitor Belfort: $300,000

Donald Cerrone: $152,000 (including $76,000 win bonus)
John Makdessi: $30,000

Andrei Arlovski: $84,000 (including $42,000 win bonus)
Travis Browne: $60,000

Joseph Benavidez: $106,000 (includes $53,000 win bonus)
John Moraga: $28,000

John Dodson: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
Zach Makovsky: $19,000

Dong Hyun Kim: $116,000 (includes $58,000 win bonus)
Josh Burkman: $45,000

Rafael Natal: $70,000 (includes $35,000 win bonus)
Uriah Hall: $14,000

Colby Covington: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
Mike Pyle: $51,000

Islam Makhachev: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
Leo Kuntz: $10,000

Justin Scoggins: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
Josh Sampo: $13,000