Benson Henderson’s Base Salary Lower in Bellator

Last November Benson Henderson fought his last bout on his UFC contract. His reported income was $117,000 including $15,000 from his “Reebok Sponsorship”. Henderson ended his contract with UFC and signed with Bellator. In interviews he stated money being the main reason for signing with the closest competitor of UFC. At his latest bout and victory Henderson earned $75,000 dollars with no win bonus. Henderson would need to make at least $42,000 in sponsorships to make the same he did beating Jorge Masvidal last November in the UFC. Granted, Henderson is guaranteed $75,000 win or loss. In the UFC, Henderson only made $51,000 if he lost. Assuming Henderson did not take a pay cut to move to Bellator, comparison could be made between his Reebok Sponsorship in the UFC and the sponsorships he earns on his own while fighting in Bellator. 

Henderson is 1-1 in Bellator, he has flirted with welterweight winning twice there before coming to Bellator and losing his debut against the welterweight champion. His lightweight bout at Bellator 160 was against former featherweight champion Patricio Freire. Henderson could go on to fight lightweight champion Michael Chandler or Freire’s brother Patricky who lost to Chandler in the latest lightweight title bout. 

Salaries as reported by Marc Ramondi for Bellator 160:

Benson Henderson ($75,000)
Patricio Freire ($50,000)
Derek Anderson ($20,000)
Saad Award ($18,000)
Georgi Karakhanyan ( $34,000)
Bubba Jenkins ($14,000)
A.J. McKee ($20,000)
Cody Walker ($8,000)
David Duran ( $4,000)
Kyle Estrada ($1,500)
Steve Ramirez ( $3,500)
Ron Henderson ($2,000)
Joey Davis ($5,000)
Keith Cutrone ($1,500)
Gabriel Green ($3,000)
Alex Trinidad ($1,500)
Andy Murad ($4,000)
Johnny Cisneros ($2,000)
Jake Roberts ( $10,000)
Stephen Martinez ($2,500)
Chinzo Machida ($16,000)
 Mario Navarro Jr. ($2,500)
Jacob Rosales ($3,000)
 Mike Segura ($1,500)