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MMA is a uniquely freakish combination of savagery and artistic inventiveness. It is the only sport in the world where a competitor gets punched and kicked all over the place, gets ruthlessly grappled to the ground and is made to look extremely vulnerable in front of millions of people around the globe.
Being a mixed martial artist is no mean task and the least the fighters deserve is to get paid handsomely for putting their bodies on their line. Isn't it?
The dispute regarding the pay scale of MMA fighter, the UFC in particular, has been a matter of heated debate for a long time. Nonetheless, the mainstream appeal of the UFC has enabled many fighters to amass healthy assets and a substantial bank balance by virtue of their legendary performances inside the Octagon as well as other ventures outside of the cage. All said and done, while MMA is fundamentally a competitive sport, it’s also a business and quite possibly the fastest growing sporting entity in the world.
So which fighters have gained the most from the bludgeoning golden goose that is the UFC? Let us find out (data accumulated from CelebrityNetWorth.com, Forbes, and TheSportsDaily.com).
Honorable Mention: Rorian Gracie - $50 Million (9th Degree Black Belt in Brazilian JiuJitsu, Co-Founder of the UFC)
#5 Anderson Silva - $18 Million
The Spider is inarguably one of the greatest to have graced the Octagon. While his fight stats and championship accolades are iconic in itself, his financial figures aren’t all that bad either as he has a net worth of $18 million as of 2018.
The Brazilian wizard reportedly earns roughly around $665,000 per fight excluding bonuses and sponsorship extras. The longest reigning Champion in UFC history has had endorsement deals with Nike, Corinthians Football Club, and Burger King.
The former Middleweight Champion continues to rope in a solid sum owing to his popularity despite his stock taking a hit due to recent drug test failures. The cerebral fighter has also appeared in 8 movies but his primary source of income continues to be fighting in the UFC. To know more about Silva’s assets such as luxury cars and houses, click here.
At 43 years old with a 34-8 record, Silva is still an active competitor in the Light Heavyweight division and is looking to end his career on a high.
#4 BJ Penn – $22 million
Penn’s career may have seen a downward spiral in recent years but the Prodigy continues to be one rich man. The former UFC Lightweight Champion has earned close to $250,000 for each of his fights ever since he rose to prominence. His total earnings from 18 UFC fights is an estimated $3,000,000 without the undisclosed bonuses and additional PPV perks.
It should be noted that the figure doesn’t include the fixed money (show money) given to top fighters just for making an appearance. Due to his explosive finishes, Penn has taken home many performance bonuses over the years, which have only increased his overall income.
Penn comes from an affluent family as well with well-documented businesses and assets to his family’s name. He even had lucrative endorsement deals with Hayabusa and 180 Guard. Even though Penn is way past his prime, the 39-year-old former multi-divisional champion continues to be motivated to fight in the UFC.
#3 Brock Lesnar - $28 Million
The cash cow of both the UFC and WWE is one of the richest combat sports athletes in the world and commands an estimated net worth of nearly $28 million. Lesnar broke a record (later broken by Conor McGregor on multiple occasions) in his last UFC outing when he pocketed $2.5 million in his tainted win against Mark Hunt at UFC 200.
Lesnar’s reported career earnings from his 9 MMA fights are estimated to be around $5,300,000. The former WWE Champion additionally earns a solid amount from his pro wrestling commitments with the WWE which is pegged at around $6.5 million. He is the second highest paid Superstar behind John Cena and has endorsement deals with restaurant chain Jimmy Johns and Everlast. Click on this link to know about his luxury cars and properties.
While the WWE Universal Champion is rumored to pen a new deal with WWE, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion’s return to the Octagon seems inevitable and we can only imagine the astronomical sum he may earn upon his much-anticipated comeback fight.
#2 Georges St. Pierre – $30 Million
If Silva is considered to be one of the greats then GSP is possibly the greatest in UFC history. The consummate professional has everything to his name – an enviable record, an outstanding championship reign, a well-rounded skill set, a feel-good comeback story and of course, a wholesome net worth of around $30 million.
GSP made $2.5 million in his return fight against Michael Bisping in 2017 and has total career earnings of around $7,037,000 from 22 fights in the UFC excluding PPV perks and other undisclosed bonuses.
Some of his endorsements in a lengthy list include Hayabusa, Electronic Arts (EA), Under Armour, Reebok, NOS Energy Drink and Bacardi. Click on this link to know more about GSP’s assets such as his ultra-modern house and cars. Due to his uncontroversial and likable persona, Rush has been a perennial fan favorite and is one of the most marketable names in the UFC.
However, only one man could stake a claim for being the most marketable star in UFC history, who is light years ahead of everyone in terms of net worth.
No prizes for guessing…
#1 Conor McGregor - $110 Million
You may hate the man but you can’t deny that Conor McGregor is an astute businessman in addition to being a naturally gifted fighter.
A plumber-turned-mixed martial artist, the Notorious One has completely transformed the financial aspect of MMA with his braggadocios approach towards marketing his fights. While the exact net worth of the Irish megastar is still shrouded in relative mystery, his estimated net worth is around $110 Million. According to Forbes, McGregor had a base net worth of $85 Million with an additional $14 Million worth of endorsements before the Nurmagomedov fight.
Firstly, let’s focus on his earnings from the UFC. McGregor has made a total of around $12,100,000 in his 11 UFC fights excluding bonuses and undisclosed payouts. He consistently made a minimum of $3 Million in his last three fights. The former two-division champion, though, been rumored to make an average of around $15 million and above per UFC fight and it’s all because of his well-constructed brand.
Having been guaranteed $30 Million for his fight against Floyd Mayweather, McGregor hinted that he had indeed taken home around $100 Million as a result of the highly-publicized bout.
As mentioned above, McGregor isn’t your typical mixed martial artist as he is also blessed with sharp business acumen. He launched his highly successful Proper Twelve Whiskey brand and has highly remunerative endorsement deals with the Beats By Dre, Reebok, Burger King, and Monster Energy. Want to more about his fleet of cars and other mind-boggling assets? Follow this link.
The 30-year-old has predicted that he would become a billionaire by the time he turns 35 and we have no reason to doubt Mystic Mac.
