Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano payouts were ‘not close’ to CSAC disclosed numbers says main event coach

Gina Carano’s coach has revealed that her fight with Ronda Rousey was a lot more lucrative than California State Athletic Commission numbers would have you believe.

Netflix delivered the highest-viewed MMA fight in American history on Saturday night, even if the main event was something of a damp squib. Rousey almost instantly took Carano down, and used her famed armbar to submit her within 17 seconds.

Around the time of the main event ring walks, CSAC released the disclosed payouts for the show, revealing that Rousey earned a base purse of $2.2 million, while Carano pocketed $1.05 million without even landing a single punch.

Gina Carano’s coach reveals purses were much more than disclosed

There are many reasons why the disclosed purses for a fight would change drastically from what fighters actually make. In the case of California, a state with particularly high tax rates, the promotion might pay out in different ways in order to avoid the massive cut into salaries.

As a result, these disclosed payouts mean next to nothing, as coach John Wood revealed in an interview with Home of Fight this week. Wood helped Gina Carano to drop 100lb and make a particularly low weight for the event.