'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is said to have one of the most lucrative contracts in the history of MMA. The fighter recently signed a new contract and made a base salary of $1,000,000 when beating Robert Whittaker at UFC 271.
In total, Adesanya reportedly earned $1,542,000 from the Whittaker rematch. This figure takes into account the pay-per-view and sponsorship shares the champion gets from headlining the card.
'The Last Stylebender' managed to double his base salary earnings from UFC 263, where he pocketed $500,000 to face Marvin Vettori. The fighter reportedly still made $1,142,000 after pay-per-view and sponsorship earnings from the event.
Before UFC 271, Adesanya signed a multi-fight deal with the organization, cementing his future with the company.
Watch the UFC 276 face-offs here:
In his next bout, Israel Adesanya should once again expect to make well over a million dollars when facing Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 this weekend.
While Cannonier will likely be making nowhere near as much money as the champion, he is a tough opponent. The American will be hoping to snatch the title away from Adesanya and get himself some big paydays going forward.
How much did Israel Adesanya earn in his UFC debut?
Back in 2018, Israel Adesanya wasn't the household name he is now. He faced Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold in his organizational debut. The Nigerian-born fighter reportedly took home $153,500 in total after winning the bout.
However, Adesanya's base salary was only $50,000, which is nowhere near the $1,000,000 he received to fight Robert Whittaker in his latest UFC bout. 'The Last Stylebender' was 10-0 in MMA before entering the organization and also had a successful kickboxing career.
In his last fight before joining the UFC, Adesanya beat Stu Dare at Hex Fight Series 12. 'The Last Stylebender' won via knockout in the first round, which was enough to catch the attention of the UFC.
Adesanya has been dominant in the organization, losing only once in 12 UFC outings. He lost a unanimous decision to Jan Błachowicz at UFC 259, while trying to go up in weight and become a two-division champion.
(All figures as per MMA Salaries)
