The UFC is rapidly growing in popularity all over the world, and one of the main reasons is its extraordinary fighters, who have played an important role in making the sport famous. In the early years, fighters were not paid that much for a fight in comparison to what they receive today. In the current era, top fighters in the UFC are paid five to six figures every time they come to fight. But there are some fighters who are big contenders for the promotion and apparently earn more money than their fellow fighters. In this article, we will tell you about the highest-paid fighters in the UFC.
Junior dos Santos
Net Worth: $10 Million
The Brazilian fighter made his UFC debut in 2008 against Fabricio Werdum and has since fought 31 times, winning 15 of them. He earned six figures in six of them. “Cigano” got his highest-paid fight at UFC 211 when he challenged Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight championship. Santos earned approximately $830,000 for the fight.
Donald Cerrone
Net Worth: $9 million
Donald Cerrone has fought over 50 bouts in his career and has won 36 of them. The “Cowboy” has been part of the UFC for almost a decade. Cerrone also became the Lightweight and Welterweight champions in the promotion. Thanks to McGregor, Donald earned his highest paycheck and earned over $200,000 at UFC 246 despite losing in 40 seconds. As of 2023, his net worth was $9 million.
Mark Hunt
Net Worth: $6.30 million
The former kickboxer competed in the UFC until 2018. Super Samoan’s upliftment came after his fight against Brock Lesnar at UFC 200. Mark lost the fight, but the result was later overturned to no result because Lesnar was tested positive for a banned substance. Ever since Hunt earned six figures in his five fights. Hunt has only won once against Derrick Lewis, which also earned him his biggest paycheck. The former got $810,000 for the fight, which included a Reebok deal and a Fight of the Night bonus as well.
Jon Jones
Net Worth: $15 Million
The former light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, is a big name in the UFC and arguably one of the greatest fighters of all time. Jones got his biggest paycheck after his bout with Daniel Cormier at UFC 214, where he defeated him and retained his lightweight title. Bones received $580,000 for the fight, although the result was overturned by CSAC later.
Georges St-Pierre
Net Worth: $30 Million
The former Canadian fighter is undoubtedly one of the best men in the UFC. GSP ended his professional career in style by receiving a seven-figure paycheck for his much-publicized 2017 comeback against Michael Bisping. The Rush,” who retired as the defending welterweight champion, returned to defeat Bisping and win the middleweight championship. He became the fourth fighter in UFC history to become a multi-division champion and take home a big check of $2,580,000.
Michael Bisping
Net worth: $9 million
“The Count” also got his biggest payday when he fought Georges St-Pierre. However, not even close to GSP’s figures, Bisping earned a whopping $540,000 for the fight. He lost the bout via technical submission but earned a good amount of money. Michael made his UFC debut at the TUF finale and retired in 2018. Currently, he serves as an announcer and color analyst for the UFC.
Anderson Silva
Net Worth : $ 8 Million
Anderson Silva got great respect and love from the entire MMA community following his knockout loss to Uriah Hall on October 31, 2020, but he still took retirement from the promotion. Despite losing five of his last six bouts, Silva remains one of the highest-paid UFC stars. “The Spider” got $66,000 for his debut fight and reached six figures in his fourth fight. His highest earnings were in a fight against Derek Brunson at UFC 208, where he got a total of $820,000.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Net Worth : $40 Million
One of the best-known champions, Khabib retired with a 29-0 record, undefeated in his career and 13-0 in the UFC. The Eagle earned $8.68 million from his fights against Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. He bagged $2,540,000 against McGregor and over $6,000,000 against Dustin Poirier. He received a few millions more for defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, after which he announced his retirement. According to a report, Khabib earned over $5 million for the fight.
Alistair Overeem
Net Worth: $10 Million
Overeem had a remarkable debut because he defeated Brock Lesnar in his first fight. That fight earned him six figures. He earned over $800,000 for each of his last six to eight fights. “The Demolition Man” announced his retirement this year in July, but he has earned big respect and fame in the UFC.
Conor McGregor
Net Worth: $180 Million
Conor McGregor is the highest-paid UFC fighter of all time. He has played a big role in making the promotion popular all over the world. McGregor is the only fighter who earns seven figures from his fights. According to Forbes, he earned $3 million alone from his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Though he has been out of action in the UFC for a long time, his net worth is the highest.
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