Bellator 290 salaries: Fedor Emelianenko earns $100,000 purse for retirement fight

Fedor Emelianenko cashed one last six-figure payday in his final MMA fight.

The heavyweight legend earned a $100,000 fight purse for his farewell fight against Ryan Bader in Bellator 286’s main event, which took place Saturday at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and aired live on CBS.

Bader, the Bellator heavyweight champion, defeated Emelianenko via first-round TKO to successfully defend his title. He earned $150,000 in the victorious effort. Both Bader and Emelianenko were on flat fees with no win bonuses regardless of the fight’s result.

The bout marked Emelianenko’s final appearance of his iconic MMA career, which spanned 23 years and saw the Russian champion become one of the most decorated heavyeights in MMA history.

The California State Athletic Commission released the event’s salary report to MMA Fighting in the aftermath of Bellator 290.

The headliners were among five fighters who earned six-figure paydays, joining Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen ($150,000), Sabah Homasi ($100,000), and Chris Gonzalez ($100,000).

A complete list of the Bellator 290 salaries can be seen below.

As always, these figures do not represent a fighter’s total earnings, as sponsorship incomes and other forms of income are not publicly disclosed.

See the official Bellator 290 weigh-in results below.

• Ryan Bader ($150,000 + no win bonus = $150,000) def. Fedor Emelianenko ($100,000)
• Johnny Eblen ($150,000 + no win bonus = $150,000) def. Anatoly Tokov ($75,000)
• Brennan Ward ($75,000 + no win bonus = $75,000) def. Sabah Homasi ($100,000)
• Lorenz Larkin ($75,000 + no win bonus = $75,000) def. Mukhamed Berkhamov ($33,000)
• Henry Corrales ($75,000 + no win bonus = $75,000) def. Akhmed Magomedov ($28,000)
• Steve Mowry ($70,000) vs. Ali Isaev ($70,000) ruled a draw
• Chris Gonzalez ($50,000 + $50,000 = $100,000) def. Max Rohskopf ($30,000)
• Grant Neal ($33,000 + $33,000 = $66,000) def. Karl Albrektsson ($35,000)
• Diana Avsaragova ($16,000 + $16,000 = $32,000) def. Alejandra Lara ($60,000)
• Nikita Mikhailov ($16,000 + $16,000 = $32,000) def. Darrion Caldwell ($50,000)
• Neiman Gracie ($70,000 + no win bonus = $70,000) vs. Dante Schiro ($20,000)
• Jaylon Bates ($20,000 + no win bonus = $20,000) vs. Jornel Lugo ($35,000)
• Isaiah Hokit ($7,000 + $7,000 = $14,000) def. Peter Ishiguro ($3,000)
• Yusuf Karakaya ($3,000 + $3,000 = $6,000) def. Ethan Hughes ($5,000)