A week passed without any exciting UFC bout, we have to contend ourselves with watching MMA clips on YouTube (har-har!)

While at it, we had a load of Kimbo Slice’s old backyard brawls and wondered what future awaits this EliteXC-CBS shooting star.  The suits of CBS must have sweated buckets when the UFC 84 replay on Spike TV broke the previous record held by the Kimbo Slice headlined card.  To top this, the broadcast was better packaged, better executed, and better cast than the EliteXC and CBS production.

They better start coming up with a better game plan than banking solely on the Kimbo Slice X-factor and the Gina Carano fever—or else, they’d be like playing pro-football on thin Potomac ice.  A promotion whose crowd-drawing powers rests on the shoulders of two superstars wouldn’t just hold for long.

So what else do we have for some significant MMA results?

Josh Barnett’s return to Affliction

 

Smarting from being passed up for a great bout with WAMMA heavyweight Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko, Barnett says he is training for, and excited about, an October Affliction card.  He however adds that he isn’t sure about it yet.  He also says he has a pro wrestling match next week (Aug. 15) in Tokyo, Japan.

What’s happening with the guy?  Thin pickings for him, nowadays?  Most believe that after the first Affliction bout, the next logical (and to-watch-out-for event) would be the Barnett vs. Emelianenko bout.  Barnett even went as far as suggesting for a letter-campaign by encouraging fans to write the organization to ask for a fight between “The Babyface Assassin” and “The Last Emperor.”  Barnett says, “If people really want to see this fight, then they need to say something….Write Affliction or whoever. Let it be known. If that’s the fight you want to see, then say so.”

And what’s with this rumoured pay cut?  We’ve heard it through the grapevine that Affliction may come to the point of asking its fighters to cut down their take home pay to 50 percent less.

How much does an MMA gladiator earn?

WEC Fighter, Earned an event-high $44,000

Nevada State Commission lists the take-home pays of our fighters who fought last Sunday at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to a total of $230,000.

                    *  Carlos Condit ($44,000) def. Hiromitsu Miura ($5,000)

                    *  Jamie Varner ($30,000) def. Marcus Hicks ($16,000)

                    *  Brock Larson ($30,000) def. Carlo Prater ($7,000)

                    *  Blas Avena ($12,000) def. Dave Terrel ($3,000)

                    *  Shane Roller ($12,000) def. Todd Moore ($4,000)

The winners’ pay includes winning bonus that makes up 50% of their total pay.  While this does not include deductions like taxes, insurance, etc., these are just the base salaries.  It also does not reflect other earnings such as money earned from sponsors and other special bonuses which hugely makes up a substantial earnings for each fighter.

Catch us again next week for some latest MMA results and news!