Money really varies depending on your level of stardom, which promotion you are fighting for, etc.
For instance Tito Ortiz, who was scheduled to fight Liddell on this card but wussed out, was supposed to get $80K per fight plus an $80K bonus for winning. He wanted to renegotiate, asking for 150/150. Then his lawyer reneged on that and said he wanted a 3 fight deal at 450/550/750 for a Metzger/Frank Shamrock/Liddell series of fights. There was no way that was going to happen as the most successful MMA PPV in years, the Ken Shamrock vs. Ortiz grudge match, only had a $280K purse for both fighters combined.
PRIDE pays more in general, though I don't know exact numbers. I am not sure, but I believe some big names get six figures per fight.
Mark Kerr is the guy from Smashing Machine and he is still losing his battle with drugs. He went to the Abu Dhabi event in Brazil and lost to Ricadro Arona but his behavior while there was said to be sad. He no-showed promotional appearances, media interviews and the rules meeting. There were comparisons of his behavior to Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and if you have seen the excellent documentary "Beyond the Mat", you know that is a very bad thing. The good news is that he reportedly admitted after the event that losing a match that he so easily should have won is a wake up call that he needs to get his addiction under control. Also, I read a month or two back that he is still with that girl from the documentary, so that can't be a good thing, either.
Two more things... Couture is amazing. What a fighter. That was a great performance.
The other thing is that Don Frye once had the most hilarious quote as it regarded steroid use. Dan Severn, who won a few early UFCs, once proposed a winner take all tournament among big name fighters like Coleman, Frye, Shamrock, etc. but said that everyone would have to be extensively drug tested. When asked for his interest in such an event, Frye said, "What, does he want to win by forfeit?"
