Well it was an exciting weekend of fights. I ended up watching the WEC event live, and I recorded the Strikeforce event on my DVR and watched it afterwards. Overall there were a ton of great fights. Both main events happened to go my way. I am a huge Cerrone fan, so I was happy to see him dominate Ratcliff (despite the accidental groin strikes). In the Cung Le and Scott Smith fight, I like both fighters, but I couldn’t help but want to root for the underdog especially considering Smiths previous come-from-behind victories. It really was an amazing comeback as Smith was pretty hurt in the first round, and rocked a few more times throughout the fight. If you didn’t watch the event, make sure to catch a rerun, it is worth watching! Other notable fights was Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thompson, which was full of action, both guys really going all out with Melendez getting the better of the exchanges.
Below is the payouts for each event as reported by Sherdog. I always find these interesting to read.
Cerrone vs Ratcliff WEC
WEC
Donald Cerrone banked $34,000 for his third-round submission against Ed Ratcliff at WEC 45 “Cerrone vs. Ratcliff” on Saturday at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
The 26-year-old Cerrone was deducted two points in the first two rounds for illegal low blows but found the fight-ending choke in the final frame. Ratcliff took home $19,000 for the second loss of his career, which included a $10,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus also awarded to Cerrone.
Anthony Njokuani earned $18,000 for his dynamic knockout against promotional newcomer and former IFL star Chris Horodecki, who made $12,000. Njokuani’s bounty also included a $10,000 knockout bonus awarded by the promotion.
Scott Jorgensen’s relentless three-round attack on Takaya Mizugaki ($18,000) netted him $24,000. Jorgensen and Mizugaki shared “Fight of the Night” honors with Cerrone and Ratcliff, each adding $10,000 to their paychecks.
WEC 45 Payouts
Donald Cerrone — $34,000 (including $12,000 win bonus and $10,000 FOTN bonus) def. Ed Ratcliff — $19,000 (including $10,000 FOTN bonus)
Anthony Njokuani — $18,000 (including $4,000 win bonus, $10,000 knockout bonus) def. Chris Horodecki — $12,000
Joseph Benavidez — $25,000 (including $12,500 win bonus) def. Rani Yahya — $9,000
Scott Jorgensen — $24,000 (including $7,000 win bonus, $10,000 FOTN bonus) def. Takeya Mizugaki — $18,000 (including $10,000 FOTN bonus)
Bart Palaszewski — $10,000 (including $5,000 win bonus) def. Anthony Pettis — $3,000
Zachary Micklewright — $4,000 (including $2,000 win bonus) def. Muhsin Corbbrey — $4,000
Chad George — $5,000 (including $2,000 win bonus) def. John Hosman — $3,000
Brandon Visher — $6,000 (including $3,000 win bonus) def. Courtney Buck — $3,000
Brad Pickett — $16,000 (including $3,000 win bonus, $10,000 submission bonus) def. Kyle Dietz — $2,000
Erik Koch — $4,000 (including $2,000 win bonus) def. Jameel Massouh — $3,000
Cung Le vs Scott Smith Strikeforce
Strikeforce
Scott Smith made $55,000 for his dramatic third-round comeback knockout against hometown favorite Cung Le at Strikeforce “Evolution” on Saturday in San Jose, Calif., according to figures released Monday by the California State Athletic Commission.
The HP Pavilion hosted 8,552 spectators for a $633,674.50 gate, according to the CSAC’s initial tallies. Le, returning to the cage for the first time in 18 months, earned $150,000 in the first loss of his professional career — the highest reported payday of the event.
Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson stole the spotlight, though, with their competitive five-round rematch to unify the promotion’s lightweight titles. Melendez, who took home $55,000, recaptured the 155-pound crown by outscoring Thomson in nearly all of their standup exchanges. Thomson earned $30,000 in his first bout back in 15 months following persistent leg injuries.
Muhammed Lawal was penalized 10 percent of his $10,000 show purse for his enthusiastic homage to event sponsor Rockstar following his first-round victory against Mike Whitehead. Lawal shook and spilled his energy drink all over the cage during his celebration.
Strikeforce “Evolution” Payouts
Scott Smith — $55,000 (no win bonus listed) def. Cung Le — $150,000
Gilbert Melendez — $55,000 (no win bonus listed) def. Josh Thomson — $30,000
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza — $65,000 (including $10,000 win bonus) def. Matt Lindland — $50,000
Muhammed Lawal — $19,000 (including $10,000 win bonus)* def. Mike Whitehead — $30,000
Antwain Britt — $10,000 (including $5,000 win bonus) def. Scott Lighty — $5,000
Justin Wilcox — $5,000 def. Daisuke Nakamura — $200
Alexander Crispim — $4,000 (including $2,000 win bonus) def. A.J. Fonseca — $2,000
*Lawal penalized 10 percent of show purse by CSAC
Note: These numbers sent by the California State Athletic Commission, are disclosed pay only. They do not include additional bonuses or percentages of other revenue.
