UFC deny report they blocked massive payment to Anderson Silva after failed drug test

The fall out from the discovery of steroids in Silva's system continues

The murky world of UFC payments has not gotten any clearer this morning. Overnight, Brazilian media, and Bloody Elbow, reported that Anderson Silva had a payment of $6m for his win at UFC 183 blocked by the UFC over his failed drug test. That number was eye opening as it was way higher than many expected. We knew that Silva had earned $800,000 ($600,000 to turn up, $200,000 for the win), already one of the largest known payments in UFC history, but the figures quoted in Brazil were way higher. Everyone knows that the top fighters in the UFC get all sorts of extras, from a cut of the pay per view to sponsorship deals to other undisclosed bonuses, and we also know that the pay-per-view for UFC 183 was very high indeed. Still, that figure seemed high and the UFC's Dave Sholler has denied the Bloody Elbow report pretty clearly.

.@BloodyElbow These reports are not true. — Dave Sholler (@Sholler_UFC) February 9, 2015

In all likelihood, we'll never know how much Silva, or any other big name fighter, really gets for their headline matches but speculation will only increase, espcially in light of this report.