Highest Paid Fighters In The UFC, Ranked By Earnings
Mia Smith Highlights
- Top UFC fighters like Conor McGregor and Anderson Silva have earned millions of dollars from their fights, with McGregor earning over $60 million and Silva earning over $35 million.
- The UFC has seen fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jon Jones achieve incredible success and earn millions, with Nurmagomedov's average earnings per fight being $2.4 million and Jones earning an average of $1.5 million per fight.
- Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski has been a consistent star in the UFC for decades, earning over $11.2 million with an average earnings per fight of $275,000. Other notable fighters like Alistair Overeem and Ronda Rousey have also earned significant amounts from their UFC careers.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a billion-dollar company that enjoyed its boom period in the last decade. The UFC has driven a number of fans since its inception in November 1993. Along with its success, there is always a debate in mixed martial arts about the payments of the fighters involved.
A few people think that the UFC fighters put their lives on the line to entertain their fans. So, they must get hefty amounts for their performance. Still, some people blamed the UFC for paying low amounts to fighters. With time, fighters began to earn millions from the UFC.
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Average Earnings Per Fight: $275,000
- Arlovski holds the record for most bouts (40) in the UFC heavyweight division history.
- He has won the most fights in UFC heavyweight division history (23 fights).
Andrei Arlovski is a former UFC Heavyweight champion whose stock is still on the rise because he is an active fighter. Arlovski has been the most consistent star of the UFC for the past three decades. He worked for the UFC from 2000 to 2008 and left the promotion to join Strikeforce.
He later returned in 2014. However, his peak period was during his first run, when he became the first Belarusian fighter to win the UFC title. The incredible record of 34-23-1, 17KO, provides evidence of his outstanding earnings.
9 Alistair Overeem Earned Over $15.4 Million
Average Earnings Per Fight: $750,000
- Overeem holds the record for the 2nd most knockdowns landed in UFC heavyweight division history (10 times).
Alistair Overeem is one of the few fighters in the UFC who left an incredible legacy even without winning any championships. The Demolition Man began his UFC career in 2011 when Overeem outclassed Brock Lesnar in a one-sided fight at UFC 141. His MMA record stands at 47-19-1, 25KO. Overeem vs Stipe Miocic and Overeem vs Arlovski remained the career highlights for him in terms of his earnings in the UFC.
8 Ronda Rousey Earned Over $17 Million
Average Earnings Per Fight: $2.2 Million
- She became the inaugural UFC Women's Bantamweight champion.
- She also became the first woman to entry into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Ronda Rousey revolutionized the UFC women's division. Her UFC career record is 12-2, 3KO. Rousey entered the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018. She has defended her Bantamweight title six times in her career before losing it to Holly Holm. She earned over $9 million from only her last two fights against Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.
7 Junior Dos Santos Earned Over $21 Million
Average Earnings Per Fight: $1.2 Million
- Dos Santos won the UFC heavyweight title in 2011 and successfully defended it once before losing to Cain Velasquez in the rematch.
- He has the record for 2nd most knockouts in the UFC heavyweight division.
The Brazilian MMA great ruled the heavyweight division of the UFC from 2008-2011. Dos Santos returned to the Bareknuckle MMA earlier this year to break his losing streak of 5 matches. His career record stands at 22-10, 15KO, which is one of the main factors behind his top earnings in MMA.
Dos Santos has the record for the longest winning streak in the UFC heavyweight division (9 fights). His fights with Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez, and Alistair Overeem remained a major force behind his handsome earnings.
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Average Earnings Per Fight: $750,000
- Michael Bisping was added to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2019.
- Bisping won the UFC reality show The Ultimate Fighter 3 in 2006.
Young MMA fans might be surprised by his name because he is now seen as an expert in commentary roles. However, Bisping has been among the top names in the UFC since his debut in 2004. Bisping has a career record of 30-9, 18KO, which highlights his name as the fighter with the most wins in the UFC middleweight division. He won the UFC middleweight championship in 2016, although Bisping worked with a bad right eye in the latter half of his career.
5 Georges St-Pierre Earned Over $26 Million
Average Earnings Per Fight: $1 Million
- Georges St-Pierre won the welterweight and middleweight championships, which made him the fourth MMA fighter to win the titles in two divisions.
- He has the 2nd longest combined champion streak in UFC history (2204 days).
Georges St-Pierre worked for the UFC from 2004 to 2017. The overall MMA earnings of St-Pierre are above $45 million, which includes his UFC earnings along with endorsement deals. He held the record for most wins in title bouts during his time.
St-Pierre is among the few UFC fighters who ended their careers as champions. His career record stands at 26-2, 8KO. His championship victory over Bisping earned him around $10 million.
4 Jon Jones Earned Over $28 Million
Average Earnings Per Fight: $1.5 Million
- Jon Jones holds the record for most title wins in UFC history (15 wins).
- He has the longest unbeaten streak in UFC history (19 fights).
Jon Jones is one of the biggest draws UFC has ever had. Despite his issues with Dana White, as well as his outside problems, he has always remained among the top few names of the UFC. He is the current UFC heavyweight champion, which remains a significant factor in Jon Jones's UFC earnings.
The top fights that boosted his earnings were against Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson. His MMA record is 27-1-1, 10KO. Jon Jones remained a two-time UFC light heavyweight champion in the past. He earned $15 million from 2012-17 for just 7 fights.
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Average Earnings Per Fight: $2.4 Million
- Khabib remained undefeated throughout his career and also became the longest lightweight champion in UFC history (1077 days).
- The UFC included Nurmagomedov in the 2022 UFC Hall of Fame class.
The Eagle Khabib Nurmagomedov was the most decorated UFC lightweight champion of all time before he vacated the title to announce his retirement in 2020. Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor is the biggest draw in UFC history.
Khabib retired from the UFC with a record of 13-0 and also remains undefeated in his MMA career at 29-0. Khabib's greatness will always be highlighted in mixed martial arts due to his victory over Conor McGregor in one of the most heated fights in the UFC's history.
2 Anderson Silva Earned Over $35 Million
Average Earnings Per Fight: $1.4 Million
- Anderson Silva entered the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023.
- He holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history (2457 days).
Anderson Silva remained UFC Middleweight champion for almost seven years. Most of his earnings came during and after this reign because he achieved superstardom with a record title reign. Anderson Silva has a career record of 34-11-1, 23KO.
Anderson Silva's winning streak consists of 16 fights, including the UFC middleweight championship victory and its 10 successful defenses. He earned over $27 million from 9 fights between 2021 and 2016.
1 Conor McGregor Earned Over $60 Million
Average Earnings Per Fight: $4.2 Million
- His 13-second championship victory over Jose Aldo is the fastest title victory in the UFC.
- McGregor headlined five top-selling events in UFC history.
Conor McGregor put the UFC on the map with his incredible promo skills, which was one thing other UFC fighters lacked. Conor McGregor is the biggest draw in UFC history, with a career record of 22-6, 19. His 9 pay-per-view bouts generated more than 13 million sales.
The UFC earnings of Conor McGregor have remained on top in the last decade thanks to his fights with Nurmagomedov, Nate Diaz, Jose Eldo, and Dustin Poirier. Conor McGregor won championships in two divisions and earned over $27 million from six fights in 2015-16.
