Who Are The Richest UFC Fighters?

It’s no secret that Conor McGregor is not only number one on the list of the richest UFC fighters, but one of the richest athletes in the world. For his last fight with Cowboy Cerrone, he was guaranteed $3 million just to show up.

Considering the event sold 1 million PPVs, he likely made millions off the backend too. In terms of other business, his Proper 12 Whiskey has sold hundreds of thousands of bottles since its release, contributing significantly to his bank account. McGregor has done an excellent job building out his own brand while simultaneously pursuing other business ventures outside of fighting, which is why he remains first on this list.

It is reported that Khabib Nurmagomedov made a guarantee of $6 million for his last fight with Dustin Poirier. That number comes from Khabib’s late father Abdulmanap, who said that his son will make triple what he earned in the Conor fight ($2 million).

Even if that number is high as an upfront payment, there’s no doubt Khabib banked millions, with the event in Abu Dhabi and subsequently scheduled events being built around him and his appeal to the natives there. Khabib has since retired from fighting, but he remains one of the biggest draws in UFC history because of his unfathomable win streak and title defense run.

Widely regarded as the best to ever do it in MMA, Georges St-Pierre has the net worth to show for it. Though he is now retired from the sport, in his last fight with Michael Bisping, GSP was guaranteed $2.5 million. The fact that he is a PPV draw means he earned millions from PPV points as well.

Outside of fighting, he has boasted endorsement deals with Under Armour, Affliction, 888Poker, EA, and more. GSP continues to push the envelope on what fighters are able to accomplish in business and after their fighting career.

Though he is still under contract with the UFC, Brock Lesnar currently wrestles for WWE, where he is one of their most valued stars, supposedly making over $6 million every year.

Brock made his name in pro-wrestling and later came over to MMA, where he helped bring over fans from the wrestling side. This means big bucks for the UFC, which is why he received $2.5 million upfront for his UFC 200 fight against Mark Hunt. With the new merger between the UFC and WWE, do we see Brock Lesnar becoming the brand ambassador for the bigger brand?

Though he hasn’t been fighting at the top level for a few years, with just one win since 2012, Brazilian legend Anderson Silva still has name value and the UFC recognises that. For his last fight versus top Middleweight contender Jared Cannonier, he earned a flat fee of $600k, which he has been earning for years as a minimum.

He has also had sponsorship deals with Nike, Burger King, and more. Silva did recently fight Youtuber Jake Paul and was paid a reported $500k with 35% share of PPV revenue.

Earlier this year, Overeem fought his 65th professional MMA fight against Walt Harris. For it, he earned about half a million dollars, which has been his standard for years.

Overeem is a legend in the sport and has done all there is to do except for winning a UFC title. Even if his last shot at the Heavyweight championship doesn’t pan out, it’ll surely help his retirement fund.

She isn’t officially retired from the sport, but given how her last two fights went, her time away and the comfort she’s found in professional wrestling, it’s unlikely that Ronda Rousey ever fights again. She certainly doesn’t need to, with a net worth of $13 million. Her WWE salary was reportedly $1.5 million and for her fight against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207, she was guaranteed $3 million.

Jones has been one of the fighters that has been in a public feud with Dana and the UFC for wanting more money for a move up to Heavyweight. He certainly deserves more, but even if he continues to fight at 205lbs, he’ll be guaranteed $500k every fight, likely making significantly more off the backend.

In his early twenties, Jonny Bones was also the first MMA fighter to be sponsored by Nike, the first with their own shoe, and the first to represent Gatorade.

After conquering 145lbs and becoming the greatest Featherweight of all time, José Aldo moved down to Bantamweight last year to fight fellow Brazilian Marlon Moraes. For it, he made $400k, which he also made in his last fight against Petr Yan.

Aldo also makes good money from sponsorships and expressed his concern for losing money from those deals due to the coronavirus pandemic.

For a long time, Michael Bisping was one of the highest paid MMA fighters in the world, bringing in fans from Europe for the UFC. He’s been retired for years now, but still made significant over his long career.

To fight GSP at UFC 217 he was guaranteed $500k. Just a few weeks later when he fought Kelvin Gastelum, he made another $250k. He also currently commentates for the UFC.

Cowboy’s reputation in MMA is that he fights whoever, whenever. He boasts the most wins in UFC history and is in great standing with the company. Though he was guaranteed his standard rate of $200k to fight Conor in January, he likely earned a big bonus behind closed doors and a ton of money from PPV points. He also has a deal with P3.

When RDA pulled out of his fight with Conor McGregor at UFC 196, Nate Diaz’s dream had come true and he was finally going to be paid what he's worth. He made half a million on short notice, then $2 million for the rematch.

He proved he could be a star on his own when he fought Pettis in a big fight and propelled Jorge Masvidal to stardom too. With his brother Nick, he founded a CBD company called Game Up Nutrition a few years back.

Being called a “company man” is often an insult, but Daniel Cormier’s bank account makes it hard for him to take offense. For his upcoming fight against Stipe Miocic, he’ll earn the exact same money he earned when he was champion, which adds up to millions when all the figures are in. He also makes handsome checks commentating for the UFC.

Jorge Masvidal just fought Kamaru Usman for the 170lb title on short notice. This came after he was supposed to get the fight in the first place but was passed over due to disputes over money. In the end he lucked out after Gilbert Burns was forced to pull out.

Just like against Nate Diaz, he made $500k upfront, but this time with generous PPV points which he’ll make seven figures. He recently launched Recuerdo Mezcal too.

Easily the most accomplished woman to ever fight in MMA, Amanda Nunes is currently the women’s 135lb and 145lb champ in the UFC. She’s done everything there is to do in the sport but is still going. In her last fight against Felicia Spencer, her 11th straight win, she made $450k with PPV points adding on.