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The UFC has historically been infamous for giving only a small share of its revenue to its fighters. While a few top-tier fighters have made big bucks riding on their superstar images, it is not the case for others. When we speak about lower-rung fighters, there are alternate careers and GoFundMe pages that have managed to keep them from going bankrupt.
While the situation has changed a bit in recent years, with UFC stars earning millions in a single fight, they're still poorer than mainstream sports' top athletes. Therefore, it is natural for them to look for a source of income outside the MMA promotion. Boxing is one big avenue where UFC stars have found a safe haven to earn the riches that MMA is often unable to provide them with.
On that note, here's a look at five UFC stars who earned their fortunes outside the octagon.
#5 Ben Askren earned $500,000 after leaving the UFC
Ben Askren was a highly accomplished wrestler before beginning his MMA career. Apart from being an Olympian, Askren was a Pan-American champion and a two-time NCAA Division I All-American champion. His wrestling career is practically impossible to emulate.
He began his MMA career in 2009, and remained undefeated until the very end, having fought in several promotions like ONE, Bellator and the UFC. While his earnings at ONE FC and Bellator haven't been disclosed, Ben Askren earned $830,500 during his short stay at the UFC despite going 1-2.
He was the welterweight champion at ONE FC and Bellator, but his earnings there weren't much. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, he revealed he was offered $50,000 for show and $50,000 to win on his ONE FC debut.
Ben Askren earned a fortune, though, after leaving the UFC. After losing back-to-back fights against Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia at the UFC, he announced his retirement from MMA in 2019.
Two years later, he faced YouTuber Jake Paul in a boxing bout, and lost via TKO. However, he did win financially, earning $500,000 straight for the Triller fight. Compared to his career earnings he gathered over a decade in MMA, bagging up half a million to get knocked out in a few seconds is nothing less than a fortune.
#4 Donald Cerrone has had several Hollywood projects
Donald Cerrone is one of the most seasoned veterans in the UFC who began his MMA career back in 2006. Five years after fighting for several MMA promotions, 'Cowboy' joined the UFC in 2011. In the UFC, he became the busiest fighter in the promotion, fighting an average of four times every year.
Cerrone's career earnings stand at around $6 million, most of which he gathered over the course of 37 fights in the UFC. However, according to Celebrity Net Worth, 'Cowboy' has a net worth of around $9 million.
The MMA veteran has had several stints in Hollywood, which have enabled him to earn a fortune outside the octagon. He has acted in several movies, including the Mark Wahlberg starrer Spenser Confidential. The UFC star recently appeared in a short film alongside UFC women's strawweight champion Rose Namanujas.
#3 Tyron Woodley is scheduled to get a multi-million dollar payday for Jake Paul fight
Tyron Woodley started his MMA career in 2009. After going 10-1 in four years with several promotions, including Strikeforce, he signed with the UFC in 2013.
He went on to defeat Robbie Lawler in 2016 to win the UFC welterweight championship. While his earnings in Strikeforce were insignificant, he started earning big in the UFC.
T-Wood's biggest pay-day came in his fourth title defense, at UFC 228. With a second-round submission of Darren Till, Woodley walked away with $590,000 ($500,000 to show, $50,000 Performance-of-the-Night bonus, $40,000 fight week incentive pay).
'The Chosen One' has estimated career earnings of nearly $5 million, and according to Celebrity Net Worth, his estimated net worth is $4 million. Tyron Woodley was released by the UFC in 2021 after four consecutive losses.
Tyron Woodley has earned a bit of a fortune by acting in his spare time in Hollywood as well as Bollywood. He has featured in movies like Straight Outta Compton, Escape Plan 2 and Sultan. He is also scheduled to face celebrity boxer Jake Paul in a boxing match on August 30, 2021, an event that will give him the biggest payday of his life.
Woodley's manager revealed that 'The Chosen One' will walk away with a "multi-million dollar payday" for fighting Jake Paul. Meanwhile, T-Wood himself confirmed that he would get the biggest purse of his career and said:
"Easiest fight of my career and biggest purse of my career all in one night. Basically, they brought me in to take out the trash. Can’t wait to shut this b*tch up. This is getting done for the culture, the whole MMA/boxing community, to rid this guy of combat sports.”
#2 Conor McGregor has made big-time money moves outside the UFC
Conor McGregor was the first fighter in the UFC to earn a million dollars for a single fight in the promotion's history. It was because of him that fighters like Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier and even Khabib Nurmagomedov started earning big in the UFC. However, even the Irishman has looked outside the octagon to grab the riches he so dearly cherishes.
McGregor's net worth, as per several sources, is estimated at $200 million. The biggest payday of his MMA career came at UFC 246, with the 'Notorious' earning upwards of $30 million for his first-round KO of Donald Cerrone.
While he has earned a fortune with his reign inside the octagon as the UFC's biggest superstar, the numbers dwarf when compared to what he has made outside the octagon.
He has a list of big-time endorsements, including Reebok, EA, Monster Energy, Burger King, Beats by Dre and Mcgregor F.A.S.T. Due to these endorsements, McGregor was listed as the highest-paid athlete in the world by Forbes in 2020.
Conor McGregor's venture into the world of boxing in 2017 against Floyd Mayweather also helped him increase his bank balance by nearly $100 million. His whiskey brand 'Proper Number Twelve' also helped him earn millions when he was an owner. In 2021, he sold the majority stake of the whiskey brand to Proximo Spirits for $600 million, though.
#1 Ronda Rousey has hit the jackpot in Hollywood and WWE
Ronda Rousey is a judoka Olympian and one of the pioneer female athletes in the world of MMA. She was the very first female athlete to be signed by the UFC and also the first female inductee in the UFC Hall of Fame. Her first disclosed paycheck was worth $8,000 to defeat Sarah D'Alelio in Strikeforce.
Five years later, fighting in her last MMA bout in the UFC against Amanda Nunes, Ronda Rousey walked away with more than $3 million. She moved on to WWE after leaving the UFC, earning an estimated salary of $1.5 million per year. 'Rowdey' is the highest-earning female WWE star in the organisation's roster.
What has worked well for Ronda Rousey is that she has kept landing roles in Hollywood movies, making tons of money during her fighting years. She has featured in a number of A-list Hollywood movies, such as Furious 7, Expendables 3 and Mile 22.
Her career earnings from MMA amount to around $4.5 million. But it was only after leaving the octagon that Rousey has managed to earn a fortune for herself.
