Netflix jumping into live MMA was always going to be chaotic, and they chose the perfect card to accomplish this. MVP’s first-ever MMA event at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles revolved almost entirely around nostalgia, violence, and huge personalities. Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano alone felt like something fans had wanted for over a decade, and the shocking quick finish surely will be talked about for a long time.

The rest of the card brought plenty of attention too. Francis Ngannou, Nate Diaz, Mike Perry, and several other recognizable names helped turn the event into one of the biggest combat sports spectacles of the year. And with that level of star power involved, the paychecks were always going to be enormous. So, who cashed the biggest check tonight. So, let’s find out!

Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano’s payout

This whole event basically revolved around Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano finally sharing a cage. Rousey’s financial success story remains one of the most impressive in MMA history. After a decade-long layoff, ‘Rowdy’ submitted Carano in just 17 seconds with her signature armbar in the very first round, instantly delivering one of the most talked-about moments of the year.

Court filings from the UFC antitrust lawsuit revealed that she earned between $15 million and $17 million during her UFC career. Her highest payday came against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207, where ‘Rowdy’ reportedly earned $4.8 million, while the Holly Holm bout brought in approximately $4.4 million.

However, the official California State Athletic Commission purse for Rousey’s comeback fight was significantly lower than early expectations, with ‘Rowdy’ listed at a guaranteed $2.2 million.

Gina Carano’s previous MMA earnings were much smaller in comparison. She recently stated that her first MMA bout landed her only $1,000, and her legendary Strikeforce fight against Cris Cyborg reportedly paid her only $120,000. Even after returning following a 17-year absence and cutting nearly 100 pounds to make the fight happen, Carano still secured the biggest disclosed payday of her combat sports career.

Interestingly, 44-year-old had previously mentioned that the UFC once offered her a flat $1 million purse to fight Rousey years ago. That number turned out to be remarkably close to reality, as the CSAC athlete payoff sheet revealed Carano’s guaranteed purse for for the event at $1.05 million

However, CSAC data only represent guaranteed declared purses and do not include potential pay-per-view points, Netflix-related bonuses, sponsorship deals, or other undisclosed compensation that could significantly raise the fighters’ total earnings.

Nate Diaz, Francis Ngannou, and payouts for other Netflix MMA fighters

Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry was THE fight that guaranteed chaos, which is exactly why fans were excited for it. ‘The Stockton Slugger’ reportedly earned between $3 million and $4 million for his two Conor McGregor fights, while his Jake Paul boxing match reportedly got him close to $20 million.

But since this wasn’t ‘The Problem Child’ but Mike Perry that he was facing, this bout wasn’t expected to reach that level of pay, though Nate Diaz was still expected to land another massive payday.

However, during a conversation on the JRE podcast in March, Brendan Schaub told Joe Rogan that he heard that Nate Diaz was being paid $10 million for his Mike Perry bout to which Rogan exclaimed, “I heard it was more. That’s wild.” While that remained unconfirmed, you never know.

The officially disclosed CSAC figures, however, listed Diaz at a guaranteed purse of $500,000 for the event.

Meanwhile, ‘Platinum’ has also made significant amount of money since leaving the UFC. His BKFC contract is reported to be worth $8 million, while his Jake Paul bout reportedly netted him between $2 million and $3 million. For this event, the CSAC athlete payoff sheet disclosed Perry’s guaranteed purse at $400,000.

And in the end, Diaz and Perry delivered exactly the kind of violent war everyone expected. The two brawled for 10 minutes before the fight was called off in the second round due to cuts, with ‘The Stockton Slugger’ struggling to see due to blood pouring into his eyes. Perry ultimately secured the TKO victory due to cuts and immediately called out names like Conor McGregor and Jake Paul afterward.

Then there’s Francis Ngannou, whose post-UFC career has been outright absurd financially. He reportedly earned $10 million fighting Tyson Fury, $20 million against Anthony Joshua, and approximately $10 million for his PFL debut against Renan Ferreira. Now, as per the CSAC documents, ‘The Predator’ received a disclosed guaranteed purse of $1.5 million for the card.

Ngannou also made sure to leave his mark on the event itself, brutally knocking out Lins at 4:31 of the first round after the two heavyweights exchanged big punches in the opening moments. Afterwards, Ngannou called out Jon Jones, who was serving as a guest commentator and appeared to be interested in the matchup if he ever leaves the UFC.

His opponent, Philipe Lins, obviously did not reach those figures, but he has had his own fair share of financial success, receiving $1 million for winning the PFL heavyweight tournament in 2018. However, the disclosed figures showed Lins earning a guaranteed purse of $100,000 for the bout against Ngannou.

Elsewhere on the card, names like Junior dos Santos and Salahdine Parnasse also received notable disclosed purses. The CSAC athlete payoff sheet listed dos Santos at $80,000 and Parnasse at $70,000 in guaranteed disclosed pay.

According to MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian, all fighters on the card were paid a guaranteed minimum of $40,000, more than the UFC’s typical introductory fighter pay of $12,000 to show and $12,000 to win.

This only proved that this was more than just another MMA card. Netflix was experimenting with whether live MMA could become mainstream entertainment on its platform. And when there is so much attention and money at stake, the fighters usually win big too.