Josh Barnett raked in $225,000 for his easy victory on Saturday's final Strikeforce card

By Joshua Molina

Welcome to the UFC. Enjoy your paycut.

The payroll for Saturday’s Strikeforce finale show was a stunning $1.15 million. I guess Strikeforce knows how to party like it’s 1999.

Compare that payroll to the UFC’s most recent payroll for a show — the Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos Heavyweight championship match — where the payroll was $1.26 million.

How in the world Strikeforce was able to fighters that kind of money is a mystery. Josh Barnett, for example, walked away with $$225,000; Velasquez, in winning the title, took home $200,000.

Gegard Mousasi earned $175,000 for breaking Mike Kyle: the UFC’s Jim Miller earned $82,000 in his victory over Joe Lauzon.

Even on the bottom of the card, KJ Noons, who lost a controversial decision, earned $41,000 to headline the Showtime Exteme main event; Jamie Varner earned $24,000 in his victory over Melvin Guillard.

There’s no way these Strikeforce fighters will earn that kind of money in the UFC.

It’s amazing they took home this kind of cash in the first place, without Pay Per View as a revenue stream.

The live attendance for the show looked dismal – certainly less than 5,000 people.

The UFC has multiple revenue streams, from FOX and Pay Per View, to toy championship belts, yet it is by no means overpaying fighters.

Many of these fighters can now celebrate their glorious entrance into the UFC, but they shouldn’t expect to command Strikeforce dollars until they win a championship.

Unlike Strikeforce, the UFC wants to stay in business.