Fighters who cashed in big: The biggest earners in UFC history.

The UFC is without a doubt the leading organization in MMA, a sport in which fighters from all over the world come to fight for recognition, honor and of course, money. In its first years, the UFC was not very generous with its earnings, but today the organization is a multi-billion-dollar business. The increase in the popularity of the superstar fighters, the big budget pay per view events and the increased media coverage has created millionaires out of some athletes. However, only a few UFC fighters have been able to enter the financial elite and earn millions of dollars for every fight they engage in and make their mark in the sport.

In this article, we will look at the highest paid fighters in UFC and how they were able to accumulate their wealth, the bouts that brought them the most money and the overall effect of their careers on the sport. These fighters not only gave their best in the octagon but also emerged as some of the highest paid athletes in the combat sports.

1. Conor McGregor: The Money Maker of UFC

In terms of the UFC, there is no one that can even come close to the financial success that Conor McGregor has enjoyed. The Irishman who is famous for his aggressive behavior and knockout ability has emerged as one of the biggest stars of the MMA. McGregor’s rise to fame is quite spectacular and he has been able to command high pay-per-view numbers thus making him the highest paid fighter in UFC.

McGregor entered the UFC in the year 2013 and gained recognition in the featherweight division due to his beautiful stand-up game and the ‘conviction’ of a champion. He was able to market himself and his fights and thus gained the hearts of many fans. But it wasn’t until his knockout of José Aldo at UFC 194 for the featherweight title in 2015, where he KO’d Aldo in just thirteen seconds that McGregor became a bona fide star. This victory was the beginning of a series of high profile fights that would see him earn a lot of money in his career.

McGregor’s most profitable fight in the UFC was in the year 2017 when he fought with Khabib Nurmagomedov in UFC 229. The fight was the final battle between the two rivals and the preparations to the fight were filled with insults and hatred. UFC 229 became the biggest pay-per-view event in the history of MMA with the revenue of 2. 4 million buys. However, McGregor lost the fight via submission but the Scottish sun daily reported that he was paid $50 million, which includes his fight purse, pay-per-view share and endorsements.

In addition to his UFC wages, McGregor’s 2017 boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. added to his bank account. The event was named ‘The Money Fight’ and it was one of the most lucrative events in the history of combat sports where McGregor pocketed around $100 million. This was not a UFC fight but this event made McGregor a recognized sportsman and opened the way to his future earnings in UFC.

McGregor has been the highest paid UFC fighter with an estimated net worth of more than $200 million. His whiskey brand, Proper No. Twelve has also played a role in adding to his wealth, which shows that McGregor has a way of making profits even outside the cage. McGregor’s popularity and his business mindedness in his career has made him not only the richest fighter in the UFC but also one of the richest athletes in the world.

2. Khabib Nurmagomedov: The Undefeated Champion

Another fighter who made a lot of money during his UFC career is Khabib Nurmagomedov who is also known as “The Eagle”. Nurmagomedov who is well known for his wrestling and grappling ability retired with an impressive winning record of 29-0 and is considered to be one of the greatest fighters of all time.

Although Nurmagomedov’s journey to the top of the UFC was less flamboyant than McGregor’s, he also accumulated a lot of wealth especially in his final years of the career. As has been highlighted earlier, Khabib’s highest earning fight was against Conor McGregor at UFC 229. Although McGregor was the star of the show, Khabib got $10 million for the event. This amount comprises his fixed salary, the share he gets from the pay-per-view earnings, and the fight money.

After his win over McGregor, Khabib became an even bigger celebrity. His other bouts include fighting with Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 and Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 which also contributed to his income. In his title defense against Poirier, Khabib was said to have earned around $6 million and for his last fight against Gaethje, he earned around $10 million.

But the money that Khabib earns does not only come from his fight purses. Nurmagomedov retired from MMA in 2020 and since then, he has focused on his business endeavours and has even started his own MMA promotion called Eagle FC. Although the estimated career earnings of Khabib are much less than McGregor, his net worth is estimated to be between $40-50 million which is an evidence of his success in and out of the octagon.

3. Ronda Rousey: The Queen of Women’s MMA

Ronda Rousey was one of the pioneers of the UFC, and played a big role in the development of women’s MMA. Rousey became the first woman to have a contract with the UFC and she helped to bring focus to the women’s division and became one of the most popular fighters in the history of the sport.

Rousey’s wealth can be attributed to her performance in the octagon since she has been earning a lot of money. Ronda Jean Rousey was born on February 20, 1987, in Riverside, California; she became the UFC’s first female bantamweight champion in 2012 and dominated her opponents with armbar submission, especially in the first round. She had fast knockouts and the talent to bring fans into the ring, and her bouts were always a money maker for pay-per-view.

The highest she earned in a fight with the UFC was during her title defense against Holly Holm in the UFC 193 in 2015. Rousey, who was knocked out in the second round by Holm earned $3 million from the fight through her base salary, pay per view revenue share and endorsements. Rousey was paid $3 million to face Amanda Nunes again at UFC 207 and again lost the fight within 48 seconds.

Besides the UFC salary, Rousey’s popularity went beyond the MMA. She has acted in several Hollywood movies such as the ‘Furious 7’ and ‘The Expendables 3’ which contributed to her net worth. She also got into contract with companies such as Reebok and Monster Energy to promote their products. After leaving the MMA, Rousey moved to professional wrestling and joined WWE where she also received huge paychecks. Rousey has an estimated net worth of $13 million which places her among the highest paid female fighters in the UFC history.

4. Brock Lesnar: From WWE Superstar to UFC Champion

It is an interesting story of how Brock Lesnar got to become one of the highest paid fighters in the history of UFC. Lesnar who is a former WWE star and an NCAA wrestling champion joined the MMA in 2007 and he came along with a large number of fans. His physical stature, agility, and charisma ensured that he was an immediate fan favourite and he soon became one of the UFC’s biggest stars.

This is because the financial success of Lesnar in the UFC can be mainly associated with his pay-per-view revenues. His fights always drew the viewership with the fight against Frank Mir in the UFC 100 in 2009 being one of the most watched pay-per-view events in the history of UFC. Lesnar got paid a reported $3 million for the fight against Mir which included his base salary, win bonus and pay per view points.

Lesnar’s highest earning fight in the UFC was against Mark Hunt at the UFC 200 in 2016. Although he had not competed in the octagon for several years, Lesnar was still a big ticket seller, and the bout with Hunt attracted a lot of attention. Lesnar reportedly earned $2. He was paid $5 million for the fight along with other bonuses which made his total earnings for the event to be over $6 million.

Apart from his UFC career, Lesnar also made a lot of money from his wrestling career in WWE and still is one of the paid wrestlers. His ability to switch between MMA and pro wrestling and the large fan base that he has in both the sports has made Lesnar one of the richest fighters in combat sports with a net worth of $25 million.

5. Georges St-Pierre: The Canadian Icon

Georges St-Pierre, popularly known as GSP is one of the most successful fighters in the history of the UFC. The former welterweight and middleweight champion established himself as a thinking man’s fighter, an athlete par excellence who was at his best during his time as the 170-pound king. St-Pierre’s fighting style was not characterized by the most knockouts but rather tactical approach and that is why he was able to win most of his fights and hold the title for a long time.

St-Pierre’s financial success in the UFC is due to the fact that he has been able to compete for a long time and also being able to attract fights. He fought for the title in every one of his fights and his bouts used to be featured in pay per view events and he became a household name in Canada. GSP’s most successful fights were in the later part of his career, especially the fight against Michael Bisping at UFC 217 in 2017. In that fight GSP won the middleweight title and became one of the few fighters to hold titles in two weight divisions. According to the sources, GSP was paid about $3 million for his win over Bisping, including his fight purse and percentage of the PPV revenues.

He also has endorsement contracts with big companies such as Under Armour, Coca-Cola, and Gatorade which also added to his earnings. GSP’s estimated net worth is $30 million, and that makes him one of the richest fighters in UFC history.

6. Anderson Silva: The Middleweight Goat of all time

Anderson Silva, the former middleweight champion is considered by many to be the greatest middleweight in the history of the UFC with one of the longest and most successful title reigns in the history of the organization. Silva was praised for his accuracy and creativity which made him deliver some of the most sensational knockouts that fans have ever seen.

Silva’s financial success in the UFC was during the prime of his career where he ruled as the middleweight champion. His bouts against Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson were big time bouts and Silva was always generating huge pay per view revenues.

The highest grossing fight of Silva was his second bout against Chris Weidman at UFC 168 where he was paid $600,000 base pay as well as the pay-per-view points which made him earn approximately $3 million in the fight. Although Silva has less career earnings than some of the other fighters in this list, he is still one of the most important figures in the sport. Silva’s estimated net worth is around $18 million, and this is in part due to his endorsements and the business he has done after his fights.

7. Jon Jones: The Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Jon Jones is one of the greatest fighters of all time, but he has had a rather Checkered career off the mats. Jones was only 23 years old when he became the youngest UFC champion in history and his performance at the light heavyweight division led him to be considered as one of the greatest fighters in the history of MMA.

Jones was a regular on the pay-per-view events and he was raking in millions of dollars in fight purses as well as pay-per-view points. He has successfully defended his title against fighters such as Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson which were big fights that generated a lot of revenue. Jones’ earnings from UFC 214 where he beat Cormier in their rematch was $2. 5 million dollars which has his basic salary, winning bonus and the pay per view earnings.

Jon Jones’ net worth is estimated to be $10 million. Despite the fact that Jones has been financially quite successful, there are those who think that he could have earned much more if it were not for the controversies that marred his career.

Conclusion: Fighting as a Business

UFC has evolved from the initial years in which fighters were paid a meager amount of money to fight in the octagon. Today, the UFC is a worldwide corporation and the champions and the contenders who are at the top of the hierarchy can make tens of millions of dollars per fight. Some of the best fighters of all time including Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Ronda Rousey have not only won fights in the octagon but also earned their fortunes through their fighting careers, sponsorships and other business endeavors.

This is because as the UFC expands, so does the opportunities for its fighters to earn big money. It is for this reason that the biggest stars in the sport have demonstrated that with the right amount of talent, charisma and marketing, MMA fighters can become some of the richest athletes in the world. It is not an easy journey to the top, but once there, one can make a lot of money as seen with the fighters in this list.