Not only was UFC 189 a revenue juggernaut for the UFC, but it was a great payday for their fighters. The Nevada State Athletic Commission released the fighter salaries on Monday morning and it was revealed that both Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes earned $500,000 each.
UFC 189 took place on July 11, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event aired on pay-per-view, Fox Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
The event was headlined by Chad Mendes vs. Conor McGregor for the interim UFC featherweight championship while the co-main event was a welterweight championship between Robbie Lawler (c) and Rory MacDonald.
The event did an announced attendance of 16,019 for a live gate of $7.2 million. White said at the post-fight press conference that the $7.2 million gate was a new United States record for MMA.
The full UFC 189 payouts include:
Conor McGregor: $500,000 (no win bonus)
def. Chad Mendes: $500,000 (wasn’t eligible for win bonus)
Champ Robbie Lawler: $300,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus)
def. Rory MacDonald: $59,000
Jeremy Stephens: $72,000 (includes $40,000 win bonus)*
def. Dennis Bermudez: $34,000*
Gunnar Nelson: $58,000 (includes $29,000 win bonus)
def. Brandon Thatch: $22,000
Thomas Almeida: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
def. Brad Pickett: $30,000
Matt Brown: $92,000 (includes $46,000 win bonus)
def. Tim Means: $23,000
Alex Garcia: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Mike Swick: $48,000
John Howard: $42,000 (includes $21,000 win bonus)
def. Cathal Pendred: $10,000
Cody Garbrandt: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Henry Briones: $10,000
Louis Smolka: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Neil Seery: $15,000
Cody Pfister: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Yosdenis Cedeno: $13,000
