It requires adherence to become one of the highest-paid fighters in the UFC. Mixed martial arts warriors are some of the toughest athletes on the planet Earth. This sport has grown so fast – and for this reason, the salaries saw an incredible increase during the last decade. Under Dana White’s promotion, the UFC fighters now have a chance to earn some big bucks. However, not every challenger has the endurance to stay on the highest level for many years, as this sport is fierce, and only the greats and their careers last longer.
These fighters can make millions of dollars for every fight, but that isn’t the case for everyone in the UFC. The intermediate UFC fighter will make far less than Jon Jones, George St-Pierre, Connor McGregor, and co. Each combatant in the UFC has a base salary that they will receive for making weight and fighting. The UFC determines this base salary by several factors, and only the best and most famous fighters will have a larger one.
UFC Salary Distribution
The base salaries fall into three types – low, medium, and high. The lower earnings differ from $10,000-$30,000, while the middle category ranges from $80,000 to $250,000, and finally, the highest ranking is between $500,000 and $3,000,000 per fight. Fighters receive the base salary regardless of winning or losing. A few Australian UFC fighters like Alexander, aka The Great, Volkanovski and Robert Whittaker, have been slowly rising, especially Alex, who reportedly entered the $1 million base per fight.
Even though it sounds like a lot, major American sports leagues like the NBA and NFL pay more to their athletes. The revenue shared by the athletes is much lower, and the NBA and the NFL pay athletes around 50 per cent of their total income, while the UFC is only between 16 and 20 per cent. Many experts argue this isn’t enough, considering the damage you must take during the events. Despite these dissimilar revenue streamlets, some fighters have earned more cash in their careers, but who accumulated the most over their careers?
Top 10 Highest-Paid UFC Fighters of All-Time
Many fighters earned massive amounts of money, but this is the TOP 10 list of the wealthiest ones.
10. Donald Cerrone – Retired
Total earnings: $10.6 million
Donald, aka Cowboy, Cerrone had a strong career when he fought in the Lightweight and Welterweight divisions of the UFC. The U.S. fighter completed 53 fights (36 wins/17 losses) during 11 years of competing.
9. Jon Jones – Active
Total earnings: $10.9 million
Jones is one of the best fighters in history, as he was the youngest champion ever when he beat Maurício Rua at age 23. With an unmatched technique in the league, Jones is changing and evolving his game to this day, and while he is still active, he can earn more and rise even further up this list.
8. Georges St-Pierre – Retired
Total earnings: $10.95 million
Another Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter in mixed martial arts history, GSP, as he is commonly known, won titles in both the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions. When GSP quit as the Welterweight Champion in 2013, he held the record for the second lengthiest combined title streak in UFC history of 2,204 days, during which he defended his title nine consecutive times.
7. Junior dos Santos – Active
Total earnings: $11 million
He competes in Russia, the Eagle FC tournament now Santos has been a professional fighter for 17 years, and during his time in the UFC, dos Santos was scary in the octagon, as his fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 211 gave him around $1.2 million alone.
6. Michael Bisping – Retired
Total earnings: $11.1 million
Bisping was the first British fighter to compete in a UFC main event when he fought Rashad Evans at UFC 78. Fighting in both Middleweight and Light Heavyweight, Bisping’s movement-relying striking style made him hard to take down, and he is one of the best fighters in UFC history.
5. Andrei Arlovski – Active
Total earnings: $11.2 million
Belarusian American heavyweight A. Arlovski began his MMA career in St. Petersburg when he was only 20. During his career in the UFC, Arlovski, beyond his base earnings, gained many Performances of the Night and Fight of the Night bonuses. Through 58 fights, Arlovski was victorious 34 times.
4. Anderson Silva – Retired
Total earnings: $13.5 million
Former UFC Middleweight Champion, aka the Spider, still holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history, which lasted 2,457 days. Silva and his offensive records in the UFC made him one of the most eminent figures in attracting high Pay-Per-View numbers.
3. Alistair Overeem – Retired
Total earnings: $15.4 million
On the 4th of July 2023, Overeem retired from professional fighting. He was considered one of the most well-rounded heavyweight fighters in the sport, as his kicks and threatening grappling scared opponents for many decades. With 47 wins, the Dutch fighter had a balanced record, claiming 25 victories by knockout and 17 by submission.
2. Khabib Nurmagomedov – Retired
Total earnings: $22.9 million
One of the most esteemed and feared wrestlers in the MMA, Nurmagomedov is well-known in the UFC for a series of high-profile bouts, as he competed in the Lightweight division and was the longest-reigning UFC Lightweight Champion. His fight against Conor McGregor at UFC 229 holds the record for the most pay-per-view buys at 2.4 million.
1. Conor McGregor – Active
Total earnings: $39.3 million
We all knew who was going to be number one on the highest-paid UFC fighters list because everyone has heard of Conor McGregor. He is undisputedly the richest UFC fighter, aka The Notorious, who had an outrageous base salary for his fights during his time in the octagon with the UFC. Wisdom says many dreamed of a bout against the legend – to get a share of the cake.
For instance, his fight with Floyd Mayweather outside of the UFC was yet another big payday and helped contribute to the earnings once he returned to the UFC. Forbes named McGregor the highest-earning athlete in 2021, even though most of that came from off-field revenue. He was the first UFC fighter to hold UFC championships in two weight classes simultaneously, and while not officially retired, we still expect a comeback.
Highest Paid UFC Fighters in 2022
As the year has not ended, the best thing to do is to review the highest-paid UFC fighters in 2022.
| Fighter | Money |
| Israel Adesanya | $1,956,000 |
| Andrei Arlovski | $1,108,000 |
| Alexander Volkanovski | $884,000 |
| Aljamain Sterling | $884,000 |
| Jared Cannonier | $864,000 |
Biggest Pay-per-Views in the UFC history
We had the pleasure to see many great Pay-per-Views throughout the years of UFC fights, but this is the list of TOP 10 most extraordinary ones:
| Event | Fight | PPV Buys | Amount |
| UFC 194 | Aldo vs McGregor | 1,200,000 PPV | $80 million |
| UFC 251 | Usman vs Masvidal | 1,300,000 PPV | $90 million |
| UFC 205 | Alvarez vs. McGregor | 1,300,000 PPV | $83 million |
| UFC 246 | McGregor vs Cerrone | 1,353,429 PPV | $90 million |
| UFC 196 | McGregor vs Diaz | 1,500,000 PPV | $80 million |
| UFC 100 | Lesnar vs Mir 2 | 1,600,000 PPV | $82 million |
| UFC 257 | McGregor vs Poirier 2 | 1,600,000 PPV | $100 million |
| UFC 202 | Diaz vs McGregor 2 | 1,650,000 PPV | $90 million |
| UFC 264 | Poirier vs McGregor 3 | 1,800,000 PPV | $120 million |
| UFC 229 | Nurmagomedov vs McGregor | 2,400,000 PPV | $180 million |
McGregor vs Poirier: Can the 4th Fight Climb to the Top of the PPV List?
After UFC 257 and UFC 264, the heat built up, and in 2024, we might see another event between these two fighters. Number one on the highest-paid UFC fighters list, Conor McGregor, last fought on the 10th of July 2021, as his opponent was the same D. Poirier. However, it ended unexpectedly, with Conor suffering an injury to his lower tibia in the finishing moments of the first round. Due to a doctor’s stoppage, Poirier won the fight.
A few days ago, Dustin mentioned he would accept the 4th battle and would like to finish Conor once and for all. There is no doubt that this fight will attract a lot of MMA lovers, not only because of Conor and his return to the octagon but also because this is one of the most hectic rivalries. It is hard to predict whether it would break the PPV record set in 2018, but it would be another dazzling number.
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