Bellator 277 salaries: Corey Anderson out-earns Vadim Nemkov before potential bonus

Win or lose, Corey Anderson will make more money in disclosed purses than his champion counterpart Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 277. But there’s a big kicker possible for the winner of their fight.

Anderson, who made a quick impact in the ViacomCBS-owned promotion after defecting from the UFC, is scheduled to make a flat $250,000 for his work on Friday, according to disclosed salaries released by the California State Athletic Commission. Nemkov, meanwhile, is set to make $80,000 to show and $80,000 to win.

Nemkov defends his light heavyweight title against Anderson in the finals of the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix, which co-headlines the Bellator 273 fight card on Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs live on Showtime.

To come out ahead – way ahead – in take-home pay, Nemkov’s incentive to win is a $1 million prize awarded to the tournament winner along with disclosed pay. And, of course, he will retain the title he captured in August 2020 with a knockout of former two-division champ Ryan Bader.

Here is the full list of Bellator 277 salaries provided by the CSAC. As always, these figures do not represent a fighter’s total earnings, as certain sponsorship incomes or discretionary post-fight bonuses are not publicly disclosed.

Main card (Showtime at 10 p.m. ET)

  • A.J. McKee ($250,000 to show, no win bonus) vs. Patricio Pitbull ($250,000 to show, no win bonus)
  • Vadim Nemkov ($80,000 to show, $80,000 to win) vs. Corey Anderson ($250,000 to show, no win bonus)
  • Aaron Pico ($75,000 to show, no win bonus) vs. Adli Edwards ($50,000 to show, no win bonus)
  • Timothy Johnson ($75,000 to show, no win bonus) vs. Linton Vassell ($69,000 to show, $69,000 to win)

Prelims (MMA Fighting at 7 p.m. ET)