Sonnen earns hefty paycheck in win over Filho at WEC 36

MMAWeekly has obtained the fighter salary information from the Florida State Boxing Commission for WEC 36 featuring Urijah Faber vs. Mike Brown, which took place on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

The following figures are based on the fighter salary information that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic commissions, including the winners' bonuses.

Although mixed martial arts fighters do not have collective bargaining or a union, the fighters' salaries are still public record, just as with every other major sport in the United States. Any undisclosed bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters, but does not disclose to the athletic commissions (specifically, pay-per-view bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.), are not included in the figures below.

In the listings below, "Main Event Fighters" are defined as fighters who compete in the main event of a show. "Main Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose fights appear on the main card, but not in the main event. "Preliminary Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose matches take place before the live broadcast goes on the air, regardless of whether or not those matches end up airing on the TV or Internet broadcast.

-- Mike Brown ($18,000/win bonus was $9,000) def. Urijah Faber ($14,000/win bonus would have been $24,000) *Brown also earned an extra $7,500 for "WEC 36 Knockout of the Night"

-- Chael Sonnen ($48,250/win bonus was $19,000) def. Paulo Filho ($30,750/win bonus would have been $23,000)

-- Leonard Garcia ($20,000/win bonus was $10,000) def. Jens Pulver ($33,000/win bonus would have been $33,000)

-- Jake Rosholt ($22,000/win bonus was $11,000) def. Nissen Osterneck ($4,000/win bonus would have been $4000)

-- Donald Cerrone ($14,000/win bonus was $7,000) def. Rob McCullough ($18,000/win bonus would have been $18,000) *Each fighter also earned an extra $7,500 for "WEC 36 Fight of the Night"

-- Aaron Simpson ($10,000/win bonus was $5,000) def. David Avellan ($3,000/win bonus would have been $3,000)

-- Jose Aldo ($8,000/win bonus was $4,000) def. Jonathan Brookins ($3,000/ win bonus would have been $3,000)

-- Carmelo Marrero ($8,000/win bonus was $4,000) def. Steve Steinbeiss ($6,000/win bonus would have been $6,000)

-- Danny Castillo ($6,000/win bonus was $3,000) def. Rafael Dias ($3,000/win bonus would have been $3,000)

-- Rani Yayha ($12,000/win bonus was $6,000) def. Yoshiro Maeda ($6,000/win bonus would have been $6,000) *Yayha also earned an extra $7,500 for "WEC 36 Submission of the Night"

WEC 36 DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $287,000

WEC 36 Fight of the Night: Donald Cerrone and Rob McCullough

WEC 36 Knockout of the Night: Mike Brown

WEC 36 Submission of the Night: Rani Yahya

*Leonard Garcia also received a separate $7,500 bonus from the WEC for his performance against former UFC champion Jens Pulver.