UFC 118 purse has been disclosed. Below is the list of individual MMA fighters and overall card payouts as reported by the promoters. The total overall payroll for the fighters was $1,428,000.

The top earning fighter was the man who most thought climbed into the octagon the least prepared, James Toney. Toney was put out in the first round by Randy Couture after getting knocked to the floor with a basic take-down before tapping out before the round was over.

Interesting how someone can look like they’ve been living on Dunkin’ Donuts and get their ass handed to them in the ring so quick and end up padding their bank account more than any of the other fighters the same night.

MMA is looking like boxing where the better man doesn’t always get paid the most. Couture took home $250,000, half of Toney’s $500,000 pay.

Read further and you will see the entire card and payouts.

MAIN CARD FIGHTS ON PAY-PER-VIEW

Frankie Edgar: $96,000 (includes $48,000 win bonus) def. B.J. Penn: $150,000

Randy Couture: $250,000 def. James Toney: $500,000

Demian Maia: $68,000 (includes $34,000 win bonus) def. Mario Miranda: $8,000

Gray Maynard: $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus) def. Kenny Florian: $65,000

Nate Diaz: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus) def. Marcus Davis: $31,000

UNDERCARD FIGHTS NOT SHOWN ON PAY-PER-VIEW

Dan Miller: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. John Salter: $8,000

Joe Lauzon: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Gabe Ruediger: $8,000

Mike Pierce: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Amilcar Alves: $6,000

Nik Lentz: $22,000 (includes $11,000 win bonus) def. Andre Winner: $10,000

Greg Soto: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Nick Osipczak: $10,000

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The most recent guilty verdict against an NHL player for slamming down too much alcohol came yesterday in Scottsdale, Arizona when Edmonton Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin was found guilty of speeding and operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol over twice the legal limit.

The 37-year-old goalie was originally arrested on February 8, 2010 after he was pulled over for speeding in his black Ferrari and blowing a .164 count. The cops responded by cuffing him and having him cheese for the mugshot shown here. Not really a bad mug considering how much the dude drank.

This guilty verdict is bad news for the Oilers and their netminder since driving with a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal limit in Arizona is known as an extreme DUI and extreme DUI offenders many times spend a minimum of 30 days behind bars.

If that happens then Khabibulin may miss a few weeks of the Oilers’ training camp that starts Sept. 17. Although a veteran, Khabibulin could use the ice time after missing most of last year due to a herniated disc that required going under the knife in January.

The sentencing trial is said to be set for August 31 pending approval of the state.

Khabibulin joins other NHL stars Patrick Kane and Chris Chelios in our Jocks Behind Bars and don’t forget the honorable mention for Sergei Federov who can be found cheesing in our Athletes Mugshots Gallery.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Jay Mariotti arrested in Los Angeles and charged with a felony. Those words sound like something we would never have expected to hear.

After all Mariotti, the ESPN analyst and AOL Fanhouse writer, spends time trash-talking about all the athletes who have ruined or interrupted their careers with trips behind bars and their time spent cheesing for mugshots.

 According to news sources, a sheriff department spokesperson said the 51-year-old Mariotti was cuffed and arrested early Saturday after being involved in a “domestic incident.”

Bond for the ex-Chicago Sun-Times reporter was said to be set at $50,000.

Mariotti who resides in L.A. is an analyst for the high-energy, opinionated ESPN show “Around the Horn.”

He also runs a regular sports column for AOL Fanhouse.com.

Mariotti becomes the newest member of our Jocks Behind Bars and in fairness to all the athletes who have felt the wrath of Jay and websites like ours, we will update this article and be posting the Jay Mariotti mugshot when it becomes available.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

LeBron James is back in the news and in a battle with his nemesis Brett Favre for air time and Google searches on this Hump Day. Around the time news was breaking about Favre jumping on a plane back to Minnesota, GQ Magazine released their issue featuring an interview with James.

In the GQ story, James answered questions related to his recent move from Cleveland and how he landed in Miami via his ESPN prime-time special “The Decision.”

During the sit-down, LeBron also used the opportunity to slam Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, possibly retaliating to the harsh letter of criticism Gilbert laid out the morning after his player’s departure. And he did it in LeBron fashion, letting third person comments fly.

“I don’t think he ever cared about LeBron,” James told GQ. “My mother always told me ‘You will see the light of people when they hit adversity. You’ll get a good sense of their character.’ Me and my family have seen the character of [Gilbert].”

James joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form an All-Star trio on the Miami Heat and after relocating to South Beach, he told GQ that Gilbert’s behavior has motivated him more to succeed.

Gilbert’s letter if you remember described James as “narcissistic; self-promotional” and went on to call him “the self-titled former king” and accused him of quitting during the 2009 and 2010 playoffs.

James formally responded to those accusations saying: “Every night on the court I give my all, and if I’m not giving 100 percent, I criticize myself.”

The NBA star added he has “A lot of motivation” and defended going on the ESPN special to announce to the world he was leaving Cleveland for South Beach.

James also told the mag he could see himself playing again for Cleveland someday but we all know that’s as much of a longshot as me playing for them, and I’m an overweight sports nut who lives on the couch watching ESPN when I’m not writing or going to a game.

After saying how he could see himself playing in a Cavs uniform again, James shared how as a kid growing up in Akron, he and his friends hated Cleveland saying: “So we didn’t actually like Cleveland. We hated Cleveland growing up. There’s a lot of people in Cleveland we still hate to this day.”

Yes and I’m sure that feeling is very mutual nowadays.

MORE LeBron: Dan Gilbert Spanks LeBron, Literally - Sports Climax

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Eli Manning injury: New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning suffered a three-inch gash on his head in the Monday Night Football game against the New York Jets last night. (see YouTube video below)

After a vicious hit, the Pro-Bowl player had to leave the game and is said to have received 12 stitches to close the laceration.

The Giants did get the best of their bitter rivals on the scoreboard though, defeating Mark Sanchez and his Jets 31-16.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The Miami Heat are in the news again but “The Decision” related to this incident was made by police and involved handcuffs and a mugshot. 

Heat player Udonis Haslem was busted yesterday and charged with possession of marijuana after being pulled over by the police in Miami-Dade County.

The 30-year-old forward who is a native of South Florida has spent the past seven years with the Heat and was allegedly speeding before the police made the arrest.

After approaching the car, the trooper is said to have smelled smoke and we assume it wasn’t the kind created by a cigar or Marlboro Menthol.

Maybe Haslem was out celebrating his new five-year extension he signed with the Heat a few weeks ago. Regardless, according to documents, Haslem was booked and charged with a third-degree felony for having more than 20 grams of pot. The max sentence for a charge like this in Florida is said to five years behind bars and a $5,000 fine.

Just for good measure the cops threw in a speeding ticket and a charge for too dark of window tint. Just for good measure we’re making him a member of our Jocks Behind Bars.

Recently, Heats exec Pat Riley went on line for Haslem saying “He is our anchor, he is a true warrior and a great professional.” Occasionally, a stoned anchor as well?

Too bad he couldn’t have bribed the cop with his 2006 NBA Championship ring.

NOTE: When the Udonis Haslem mugshot becomes available, we will post it in this article.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

MMA meets boxing in the Octagon on August 28^th when boxer James Toney climbs into the Octagon to take on former UFC champion Randy Couture.

Sports Climax’ MMA expert Scott Medeiros feels Toney’s chance is limited, saying “Couture, doesn’t plan on trying to outbox his opponent and will likely look for a take down at the first available opportunity and introduce Toney to the world of  MMA.”

Medeiros goes on to say, “Toney has a punchers chance, that’s about it. Couture on the other hand has been in the octagon with the who’s who of Mixed Martial Arts and his experience should overwhelm the one-dimensional boxing champ.”

Here is an interview with James Toney leading up to this highly-anticipated brawl:

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Another New York athlete became a Jock Behind Bars member after Mets pitcher Francisco Rodriguez was busted and accused of pulling a can a’ whoop-ass out on his girlfriend’s father.

That can a’ whoop-ass was said to include hitting the victim in the face several times and banging the victim’s head against a wall. The incident led to K-Rod in handcuffs cheesing for a mugshot and charges being filed.

The altercation is said to have taken place at Citi Field shortly after Wednesday night’s game and include third-degree assault and second-degree harassment.

The Mets responded by suspending their 28-year-old closer for two days while a Queen’s courtroom set the next court date for the player for September 14.

Doing the math associated with the two-game sit-down equates to $125,683 according to ESPN, our “world leader in sports.”

“Ownership and the organization are very disappointed in Francisco’s inappropriate behavior and we take this matter very seriously,” said Mets exec Jeff Wilpon.

The New York D.A. handling the case described the incident and said other violent outbursts between K-Rod and his girlfriend are being investigated in South America and California:

“There seems to be a history of violence.” 

NOTE: We plan on updating this article with K-Rod’s mugshot after we are able to obtain it.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

WASHINGTON – With an attendance announced at just 25,939 for yesterday’s return of Stephen Strasburg, the hype appears to be fizzling out. With empty seats scattered throughout Nationals Park, the Nats young and feared right-hander got rocked is a 8-2 loss to the Florida Marlins.

S.S. had dominated in his inaugural season before suffering pain in his throwing shoulder a few weeks ago. Since that flair-up, the youngster has been resting his arm and throwing a few simulated games.

Yesterday’s start was his first since July 21 and the hurler looked out of form from the start when Dan Uggla hit a two-run shot over the left field wall in the top of the first inning.

At times the Marlins looked like they had Kryptonite bats, ripping the leather off the ball and by the 5^th inning, the Nats manager had seen enough and yanked Strasburg.

His stats at the end of the day included just 4 1/3 innings and 6 earned runs on 84 pitches.

“The arm felt really good. Nice and loose. I felt 100 percent. I didn’t know where [the pitches] were going today,” Strasburg said. “It happens being on the DL, coming back maybe expecting a little too much of myself. It kind of got to my head a little bit out there. I’m going to keep things simple next time.”

“It’s his first start back since a couple of weeks ago, when something was bothering him,” Uggla said. “He was out there, kind of feeling for it. His command wasn’t as good as the first time we faced him. His stuff was there, though. His fastball is explosive. His curveball had good break on it. The biggest difference was his command.”

The Nationals dropped to 49-64 with the loss.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

This week’s Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week takes little justifying on our end because these moron’s lack of performance speaks for itself. The MLB umpiring crews clearly deserve the honor. We all are familiar with the fiascoes and bad calls that shadow the league year after year but the timing of these gaffes has gotten worse.

In last year’s AL Playoffs, umpire Phil Cuzzi reminded us how even the most obvious of calls can and will go wrong, even when eyes are planted directly on the ball and foul line. That missed call by Cuzzi hurt the Minnesota Twins and gave momentum to the favored New York Yankees in the opening round of those playoffs.  Well Cuzzi was in the news again recently after missing another call.

Jim Joyce blew the call of the century when he took a perfect game away from Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga on what should have been the final play of the game. The runner was out by a half step and in the blink of a blind eye a historical moment in MLB was taken away from the fans. Yeah Joyce cried in public and got a gig on stage at the ESPY Awards out of it but that doesn’t change the fact he botched one of the most important calls in Detroit Tigers history.

Not to be outdone by Cuzzi and Joyce, with Joyce’s tears barely dried up, umpire Bob Davidson decided to join the two to create MLB’s version of “Three Blind Mice”.  Davidson guarding his third base line in lackadaisical style missed another obvious call in an important division game between the Phillies and Marlins, calling a ball foul that anyone else you ask will say was in play. This blunder took a walk-off win away from the Marlins and to add insult to injury, the moron made the call well before the ball cleared the bag.

The Marlins went on to lose that game to the Phillies. No big deal or is it?

The Braves are in a tight battle for that division title and if they and Bobby Cox end up out of the playoffs due to one game, then how important is this call? Imagine the uproar if Bobby Cox could have had one last shot at a playoff run but it’s cut short because of a call in August by one of the Three Blind Mice.

Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez summed up Davidson’s gaffe:

“That was the worst call I’ve ever seen in my 30 years of professional baseball. That was bad. That ball was a fair ball by six inches.”

Davidson responded, “I was right on top of it, and it was wide of the bag. . . I understand that’s the winning run, but in my opinion it was foul.”

We’ve heard your opinion, now here is ours, the MLB umpiring crews deserve the Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week.

NOTE: These men are entitled to making mistakes but when they are as blatant as these errors, it cannot be helped but to draw the attention to them. The underlying issue here is, how long will it take for MLB Commish Selig to join the NFL, NBA and NHL in utilizing replay technology to get it right.  

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC