As we explored in our "Top 5 earners in the UFC in 2016" article, the amount of money being pumped into the UFC is absolutely huge these days. The last year has seen some incredible increase in the amount of money fighters are getting paid. But, what about since the inception of the UFC?
Also Read: Top 5 earners in the UFC in 2016
There are a lot of fighters who have made their mark before the mega bucks came into play and still ended up making a fortune for themselves. And, that's why today we take a stroll down the history of the UFC to see who the highest earning fighters of all time are.
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So, without further ado, here are the top 5 earners in the UFC ever:
Note: Only fight salaries have been considered for this list and not PPV bonuses, sponsorship deals, etc.
#5 Georges St. Pierre – $4,457,000
We start off with Mr MMA himself, Georges St. Pierre. GSP – as he was fondly known – is one of the true icons of the sport, having been in the UFC since UFC 46 and having an astonishing record of 25-2.
The former UFC Welterweight Champion retired undefeated in 2013 and hasn't been seen in the Octagon since and that's what makes his appearance on this list even more incredible.
Rush was an incredible all-around fighter and there was absolutely nobody who could take him out in his prime. In a time when MMA wasn't really a popular sport, the Canadian became a national hero for his exploits and brought unprecedented attention to the sport and by extension the UFC.
With all of his contributions to both the sport and the promotion, it's not hard to see why he was paid so much. St. Pierre has been rumoured to make a comeback to the octagon for a while now but there hasn't been anything concrete yet. If he does come back, expect his career earnings to go well beyond his current number which is at around $4.5 million.
#4 Brock Lesnar – $5,080,000
As mentioned earlier GSP fought in 27 matches. So, how does someone who just fought in just 9 make this list ahead of him? Well, it becomes an easy answer when that someone is Brock Lesnar.
The Beast Incarnate has been a big deal no matter where he has gone. There was a huge amount of buzz about Lesnar's decision to move into the realms of MMA and to sign with the UFC. With the amount of attention on Lesnar, there was very little doubt that he would be paid handsomely for his time.
What a lot of people perhaps didn't bank on, was how well Lesnar would do in the sport.
Lesnar won five out of his first six fights to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion and made a lot of money doing so. Despite two more defeats, Lesnar returned to pro-wrestling with his head held high and his pockets considerably heavier than when he arrived in MMA.
Then the return happened at UFC 200. Despite his initial victory over Mark Hunt at the event being overturned to a No Contest following Lesnar's doping violation, he still made a mind-boggling amount of money.
His overall figure for his measly nine fights? $5 million.
#3 Anderson Silva – $6,002,000
Another name on this list who is always mentioned when discussions come up as to who the greatest fighter of all time is, Anderson Silva, has been at the pinnacle of MMA for two decades now.
Sure, he's no longer the phenom he was prior to his string of recent losses but that does very little to take away from the fact that in this prime, The Spider was perhaps the single most ruthless fighter to have every stepped into the Octagon.
Boasting a career record of 33-8-1, Silva won 33 of his first 37 fights including a staggering 16-fight win streak. With that sort of longevity and the consistently great level at which he has performed until his recent downslide, there is very little surprise at seeing Silva's name on this list.
If he should retire today, Anderson Silva would be going home with $6 million.
#2 Michael Bisping- $6,175,000
This one is a little baffling. No one quite knows exactly why Michael Bisping has earned so much money over the years, but he has. The Count is a more than respectable 30-7 in career fights, but that isn't anything truly elite, especially considering his first 10 fights – where he went undefeated – were all outside the UFC.
Bisping isn't exactly an early comer to the promotion either, having had his first UFC fight in 2006. What makes this case even more peculiar is the fact that Bisping didn't make it onto the list for Top 5 earners in the UFC in 2016 list, despite having three victories in three fights including winning the UFC Middleweight Title. It's nuts.
Somehow, the man has managed to land an absolute mega contract which has seen him to number two on this list with career earnings of nearly $6.2 million.
#1 Conor McGregor – $9,542,000
Did you really expect it to be anyone else? With the kind of 2016 and 2017 Conor McGregor has had, it is absolutely no surprise to see him pocket this kind of money for his performances.
Putting aside points we have already explored in our Top 5 earners in the UFC in 2016 list, The Notorious One has managed to market himself in a way that few others can and has made the name Conor McGregor a household one.
With his expected match against Floyd Mayweather in the works, don't be surprised to see McGregor's worth further jump through the roof in 2017 and beyond. For now, though, Conor needs to satisfy himself with just $9.5 million.
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