Highest Earning UFC Fighters: UFC fighters showcase their craft in the Octagon. And often they are paid with a whopping pay check for each fight! Wondering who are the highest-earning UFC fighters?
As the fighters grow in power, their pay checks get heavier too. And the star UFC fighters often attract bigger crowds. They get their fatty share of good cash. So, there are many streams of income for UFC fighters. These affect their income and net worth. Here’s a short list of the top 5 highest earning UFC fighters of all time.
The List of Top 5 Highest Earning UFC Fighters of All Time
Let’s hop into the details on how they build up their net worth.
Conor McGregor – US$120 million
Guess who’s the Forbes best paid athlete of the year? Yes, Conor McGregor made $180 million during the last 12month calendar. And what made that possible? He’s the greatest crowd puller in Octagon.
But he has been paid only $22 million for the fights. The remaining amount comes from the business deals he gets into. His new launch is a whisky brand named Proper No. Twelve. And this launch brought a whopping UD$158 million.
There’s a little trivia for you. Conor McGregor bagged $3million for showing up for his fight Cowboy Cerrone. Wondering how much he took home from that fight? More than $50million. And he knows as many ways to spend that money! This highest-earning UFC fighter has some cars, yachts, costumes worth drooling for.
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Khabib Nurmagomedov – US$40 million
Khabib Nurmagomedov made his debut in the Octagon in 2012. With a net worth of US$40 million, he is the 2nd highest earning UFC fighter. He won his reputation after winning against Conor McGregor.
Beforehand, Nurmagomedov started his career with only $32,000. He defeated Dustin Poirier in his last fight winning $6 million. And now Reebok and Toyota have signed him up for endorsement. Rise of a fighter for sure! He has retired on 18 March 2021. Ultimate Fighting Network reports him to be the co-founder of Eagles MMA. It’s a center for martial arts and Nurmagomedov gives masterclasses there.
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George St-Pierre – US$30 million
GSP is in the UFC Hall of Fame. Perfect to be on the top 5 highest earning UFC fighters of all time.
After his initial retirement in 2013, he had his comeback in 2017 winning the middleweight championship. Before finally retiring in 2020, he won the multi-divisional championship. And he’s the fourth fighter to win that! That match against Michael Bisping. earned him a seven-digit pay-check. After that, he hit big brands like Cocacola, Affliction, Under Armour, etc.
Brock Lesnar – US$25 million
The next on our list of top 5 highest-earning UFC fighters is Brock Lesnar. He’s a huge crowd-puller in both WWE and UFC. He earns approximately $6 million each year in WWE.
His career started in pro-wrestling for the record. Then he turned to Mixed Martial Arts. His popularity pulls his WWE fans to UFC as well. Talk Sports says, he is the highest earner in WWE. And his UFC 200 fight with Mark Hunt alone brought $2.5 million. This American fighter stands fourth in the list of highest-earning UFC fighters.
B.J. Penn – US$22 million
We are at the end of our list. At the 5th position of the highest-earning UFC fighters, we have B.J. Penn. This American fighter brought the lower-weight championship to the limelight.
Before UFC, he won World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 2000 with a black belt. After that, he came to UFC and won lightweight and welterweight. He’s only second amongst seven fighters to win multi-divisional titles. Thanks to Penn, the lightweight stream got popular. B.J. Penn has retired after 8 years of UFC career. Now he’s handling the media distribution website for MMA. Penn has also featured in Reebok and Last Shot advertisements.
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The list ends here, but there’s more for you to read. All the information you need to know is in the table below.
| Sl NO | Name of the UFC FIghter | Country | Net Worth
(Million) |
| 01 | Conor McGregor | Ireland | US$120 |
| 02 | Khabib Nurmagomedov | Russia | US$40 |
| 03 | George St-Pierre | Canada | US$30 |
| 04 | Brock Lesnar | United States | US$28 |
| 05 | B.J. Penn | United States | US$22 |
How The UFC Fighters Are Paid
Now you know about the top 5 highest earning UFC fighters in detail. But one question remains. How do the UFC stars make so much money?
In UFC, the fighters get a fair share of what they earn for the company. The more crowd they pull, the more they earn. Though recently, there have been some discords between fighters and the company. Among top fighters, Jorge Masvidal and Jon Jones are on bad terms with companies.
So, one stream of income for fighters is the amount they get after every fight. Signing a contract for certain fights, they fight for a company. Another stream of income is the brand deals. Some of them run their own Mixed Martial Arts Academy. All of these different streams add up to their net worth.
Conclusion
The names I mentioned here are already a household for any UFC lover. The drama that builds up in the Octagon makes my adrenalin rush so hard. I guess it’s the same for you.
I root for Conor McGregor the most. But the other four UFC fighters are fabulous as well. And here’s a disclaimer. The top 5 highest-earning UFC fighters of all time are ranked according to their net worth. So no intention to disrespect any UFC fighter on my side. Hope you enjoyed reading the details.