The untold stories of fighters who earned millions: From sponsorships to superfights.
MMA as a sport has evolved from a combat sport that was only practiced by a few to become one of the most popular sports across the globe with fighters earning huge amounts of money. While the fighters in the sport have been changing at a fast pace, the financial aspect of the sport has also been volatile. In the early days of the UFC, fighters were paid little and had to make a living out of their fighting, but as the UFC evolved, only a chosen few get to earn millions. It is not only the earnings in the cage but the earnings from the sponsorships, endorsements, superfights and the smart investments made by the fighters. While most people know superstars such as Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey who earned their millions in the cage, there are many other fighters who have amassed millions behind the scenes. In this article, we will be looking at how fighters, both famous and less famous, have been able to earn their money in an industry that is well known for not paying its lower ranked fighters much. From intelligent investments, sponsorships, and right fight decisions, here is how some fighters made the best out of the violent world of MMA and turned it into a lifelong source of income. 1. A History of Fighter Pay in MMA To understand how fighters have been able to earn millions, one has to first get a grasp of the history of fighter pay in MMA especially within the UFC. In the first years, fighters fought for the sake of the victory, honor and, most often, for the money which was often not enough to pay for training. In the early years of the UFC in the 1990s, the fighters’ earnings were not very good. As recently as the mid-2000s, purses for middle-of-the-pack fighters were not bad, with some fighters making $5,000 just to step into the cage and another $5,000 for a victory. Nevertheless, as MMA and the UFC in particular started to receive recognition with events such as the highly-anticipated UFC 100 and the appearance of popular fighters like Georges St-Pierre and Brock Lesnar, revenues started to increase. The biggest step was the signing of the contract with Fox Sports in 2011. The fighters started to negotiate for better wages especially when they are to face big opponents and the sport started to generate more revenue. Some fighters capitalized on this and were able to translate their victories in the cage to the bank and wealth that runs into seven and even eight figures. 2. Conor McGregor: An example of self-advocacy and sponsorships It is hard to discuss fighters who have made millions and not mention Conor McGregor. He is arguably the most popular fighter to grace the octagon and he is also the richest. It is for this reason that McGregor’s story is different from the rest; not because of his rapid ascent to the top of the UFC but because of his entrepreneurial spirit and personal branding. McGregor was not unknown to the Octagon before 2013, he was the two-time champion in the Cage Warriors organization. But his move to the UFC came with a lot of self- promotion that had not been seen before. McGregor employed the use of social media, press conferences, and his loud mouth to create a legion of fans who would follow him anywhere. Thus, he would mention his future rivals and promise to knock them out, and that made him a must-see fighter, which, in turn, resulted in increased earnings. However, what really put McGregor into a different financial league was the fact that he was able to monetize on sponsorships and endorsements. He entered into partnership with Reebok, Monster Energy, and Beats by Dre among others. However, the biggest turning point in McGregor’s career was his fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2017. The fight was dubbed as “The Money Fight” and McGregor got $100 million from the boxing match alone, including his fight check, percentage from the pay-per-view sales, and endorsements related to the fight. McGregor has also been successful in turning his fighting career into a business one is also another interesting aspect. He also ventured into the business world and introduced his whiskey brand known as Proper No. Twelve which has brought him so much profit in sales to an extent of selling a part of it at $600 million. This deal rendered McGregor as one of the richest athletes in the world. 3. Georges St-Pierre: The Professional and the Intelligent Investor Georges St-Pierre also known as GSP is one of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters of all time. His reign in the welterweight division, together with his polite and professional attitude, made him a fan and marketer’s choice. GSP never came close to McGregor’s fight earnings in terms of money but he was able to accumulate millions of dollars through investments, sponsorships and the right fights to take. Over the years, GSP has been one of the first fighters to get sponsorship from companies outside the UFC’s partners. He got sponsorship from Under Armour, Gatorade and even NOS Energy Drink which are companies that helped him make some money from his fights. When GSP was at the pinnacle of his career, he was getting several million dollars for each fight and this was because he was able to sell pay per view in Canada where he is a national icon. Unlike other fighters who spend their money in the wrong way, GSP was very responsible on his finances. He often mentioned how he had to save and invest his fight purses because he knew that a person’s fighting career is limited. He was also careful with the products he endorsed because he only endorsed products that are relevant to his personal and career values. This strategic planning made him quit work with good health and enough money to cater for his needs for the rest of his life. 4. Ronda
