Ranked in Top 30 Highest Paid UFC Fighters [Updated 2022] (2023)

The UFC is the cream of the crop when it comes to mixed martial arts. Not all fighters earn millions of dollars - some barely reach six figures - but the best ones earn as much as any other top athlete, if not more.

Since the UFC does not release fighters' full paychecks (PPV percentages, bonuses, etc.), this is difficult to determine.how much do UFC fighters earn.

Fortunately, most fighters have a more or less constant payout, so we can make estimates and eventually break down the exact numbers.

Here are the best30 Highest Paid UFC Fighters by UFC Career Salaries Only, Not Including All Other Income Sources.

30. Robbie Lawler – 4.043.000 $

Robbie Lawler was a very influential and popular UFC welterweight champion. He was relentless in his prime, and it's no wonder he made a lot of money for some of his Octagon appearances.

While it's unknown how much he grossed from the various PPVs he headlined, Ruthless Robbie only amassedmore than 4 million dollarsthroughout your career. His highest-paid appearance in the Octagon was at UFC 201 against Tyron Woodley, where he lost his title.

He took540 000 $– half a million to appear and about $40,000 from the Reebok sponsorship (later called the Fight Week Incentive Payment).

29. Tito Ortiz – $4,135,000

If you look at the number, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell were the first UFC megastars, which means they were also the first guys in the promotion to make that much money. Ortiz did justicemore than $4.1 millionof salary disclosed throughout the career, not counting the PPV percentages.

Also, Tito fought in the UFC before the Reebok deal, so each fighter was allowed to have their sponsorship deals. Therefore, it is not known how much he received from his sponsors, but we know for sure that he wasbest paid fightswere those against Liddell.

28. Max Holloway – 4.342.000 $

Max Holloway is one of the most exciting guys in the UFC, even now that he's no longer the featherweight champion. He is relentless and always quickens the pace, which is why he is often rewarded with handsome paychecks.

although your4.342.000 $seems to be after big numbers, this is just a reported payment, not including your PPV actions. I think he gained a lot more from it, but still not as much as some other fighters.

Your highest paying fight? Brian Ortega's beating at UFC 231, where he went$490,000 advertised- $350,000 to show, $100,000 bonus and $40,000 performance bonus.

27. Ronda Rousey – 4.363.000 $

Justfemale fighteron that list is Ronda Rousey. She was once the UFC's brightest star and has shown several PPVs with big sales. Therefore, one can only conclude that her career checks were much higher, but the disclosed amount she made is4.363.000 $.

Interestingly, even though she was the face of the franchise for a while, she wouldn't have come close to that number if she hadn't fought the last fight of her career against Amanda Nunes. rousey got itjust over $3 million for that one fight, which is a huge part of his career earnings.

26. Chris Weidman – 4.573.000 $

Chris Weidman was just an average UFC fighter earning average wages. He then cold-hit Anderson Silva and took the belt in one of the biggest shocks ever.UFC history. His first fight with Silva earned him $98,000 - $50,000 of which was a Knockout of the Night bonus.

For his next fight against Anderson SilvaHe won $400,000. Well, that's a raise. His highest reported salary (excluding PPV shares) was against Vitor BelfortUFC187, where did he arrive$ 550.000. His career salary is $4,573,000 in published salary.

25. Fabricio Werdum – $4,583,000

Although he has had some issues with USADA, Fabricio Werdum has almost always made a good move during his illustrious career.$4.6 millionin the published salary. Some of that money (around $300,000) has to be credited to his brief tenure with Strikeforce between UFC appearances.

Still, the guy went on to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion, so it stands to reason that his biggest paychecks came around this time. His best pay came after losing the title to Stipe MiocicUFC 198. He took$ 540.000for that - half a million to show, plus $40,000 from the Reebok sponsorship, plus an undisclosed PPV percentage.

24. Chuck Liddell – 4.630.000 $

Back when Chuck Liddell was slaying competition in the UFC's light heavyweight division, fighters weren't paid as much. That makes his career record all the more impressive.4.630.000 $.

Interestingly enough, he earned most of his money when he already made it - a littlemore than 3 million dollarsin disclosed pay in his last six UFC fights, going 1-6. He received half a million for each of these appearances, plus a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus against Wanderlei Silva.

23. Rashad Evans – 4.735.000 $

While Rashad Evans had some great comebacks, his4.735.000 $The advertised career salary came from the sheer volume of fights he was involved in, not a few huge checks. He was a beast in his prime, though, and his biggest paycheck netted him just over half a million dollars.

Happened inUFC161against Dan Henderson, where Evans got $300,000 to appear and$ 210.000to victory.

22. Tyron Woodley – 4.874.425 $

Just as Tyron Woodley was starting to campaign for more pocket money (and had the impetus to do so), he lost the belt. Still, many people can only dream of getting paid, just as the former welterweight champion racked up$ 4.874.425through his UFC career.

His loss to Kamaru Usman was the last fight of his contract that earned himhalf a million per fight. This kicked off his 4-fight slump, but he was still making just over $200,000 from each of his last three fights.

21. Nate Diaz – 4.912.000 $

If we were to release the PPV percentages for each fighter, Nate Diaz would be way up on this list, especially considering he has boasted sometop selling PPV eventsin UFC history for his fights with Conor McGregor.

However, we only received the released numbers and they are accumulatingalmost 5 million dollarsto the younger Stockton brother. His biggest paycheck by far was the second McGregor fight he got$2.07 millionin disclosed remuneration (but who knows how much in PPV percentages).

20. Lyoto Machida – 5.035.000 $

If you don't count the last three fights of Lyoto Machida's career that he had in Bellator, he would drop a few spots on this list by winning approx.$ 450.000in these three fights. However, his UFC career nearly earned him5 million dollarsin published checks.

He never had that big money fight that most fighters on this list have. However, he managed$ 200.000 A fightfor quite some time, and when you factor in his bonuses and the length of his tenure with the UFC, it's easy to see how he amassed so much money over the course of his career.

19. Frankie Edgar – 5.158.000 $

Frankie Edgar was supposed to be "Mr. Bonus" if you asked me how the guy did itten bonuses after the fightthrough his illustrious career. Like Machida, he never got that big payday (at least he didn't announce it), but he racked up more than 25 fights in the UFC, many of which ended.over $200,000in the published salary.

However, his biggest salary didn't come when he was champion, but years later, for his rematch against Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee. In an incredible fight, Frankie got$ 420.000– $200,000 per showing, $200,000 per win, and around $20,000 in incentive pay).

18. Mauricio Rua – $5,270,000

One of the legends of the sport, Mauricio Shogun Rua, gave us some of the most thrilling and exciting fights in UFC history. So I'm glad he's on this list, even though he never got the big paycheck he deserved.

For the two legendary fights against Dan Henderson, I would give him what he earned in his career even though he lost both fights. However, an open$5.27 millionit's not something many wrestlers can brag about, though it stems more from their longevity than some huge paychecks that other famous wrestlers have raked in.

17. Jose Aldo – $5,270,500

José Aldo's UFC career totals$ 5 270 500in the published salary. However, I always say that anyone who fought Conor McGregor after becoming "the" Conor McGregor has a lot more money in their pockets than has been publicly revealed.

While this was clearly the highest payout of Aldo's career, judging by the unprecedented PPV numbers, it was neither Jose's best performance nor his highest reported salary. He was a legendary incredible fighter and deserved every penny he earned in his illustrious career.

16. Brock Lesnar – 5.295.000 $

Had we released the PPV numbers, this guy would be way higher on this list. That's blasphemous if you ask me, as Brock Lesnar has only appeared in eight fights in the UFC. We have to support him to win the heavyweight title, but he never should have had the chance as he was 1-1 in his first two fights in the UFC.

Still, everyone knew he was there to earn the promotion and some money for himself, and that's exactly what he did with Overall alone.less than $5.3 million, without VPP percentages.

He made more money in his last fight against Mark Hunt, where he should have$2.5 million just for show, But was$250,000 finefor a failed drug test that ended his MMA career forever.

15. Dan Henderson – $5,480,000

I believe that Dan Henderson is one of the best - if not the best - fighters of all time not to win a UFC title. Still, he has given us incredible performance after incredible performance, fighting in the welterweight to heavyweight divisions throughout his career.

take his$ 5 480 000Career gains with a grain of salt. About a million of that came from his short four-fight tenure with Strikeforce in 2010 and 2011.

I'm glad the UFC did him justice in the end, as his last two career fights were the highest paying.$ 860.000contra Vince Lombard e$ 680.000for the Michael Bisping fight.

14. Vitor Belfort – 5.795.200$

I'm not a big fan of Vitor Belfort due to his numerous doping violations, but before USADA took over, Belfort was one of the best fighters in the UFC. He had a long career that saw some incredible performances and knockouts and managed Belfortnearly $5.8 millionin published wages.

Some of his highest paying stints were against Dan Henderson. Especially his third fight where Belfort got it$ 300.000to show off,$ 200.000to victory,$ 50.000as a nightly bonus performance and so on$ 10.000by Reebok.

13. Stipe Miocic – 6.068.000 $

I'm sure the best UFC heavyweight of all time, Stipe Miocic, deserved much more for PPV percentages, especially for Daniel Cormier's trilogy. Still,more than 6 million dollarsThe reported salary isn't bad at all considering he only managed about $60,000 to show off another $60,000 to win before he became champion.

His highest reported value for a single fight was at UFC 241 - the second fight in DC he landed.$ 750.000to show off,$ 50.000as a nightly bonus performance and so on$ 30-40.000pay for performance; pay for performance).

12. Mark Hunt – 6.304.000 $

Legendary Samoan super Mark Hunt was never a UFC champion, but the fights he faced in the Octagon make him one of the biggest stars the organization has ever had. I think he was underpaid for a long time before he took on the Brock Lesnar fight and ended up making a lot of money.

at least he deserved it$ 750.000one night after Lesnar, which means he almost deserved it4 million dollarsin his last five fights compared to around$2.3 millionrevealed for the rest of his career.

11. Daniel Cormier – 6.586.500 $

A lot of people don't like how Daniel Cormier tried to start money fights after becoming a UFC Tag Team Champion and defending Brock Lesnar as his first title defense, even though Brock hasn't competed in years - due to a failed test. drugs. However, that fight never materialized and no one can deny that DC has fought the best of the best.

To be$6.59 millionThe publicized salaries are probably pocket money for what he was getting in PPV percentages since he carried tons of it.high selling PPV events, including the trilogy with Stipe Miocic and Jon Jones' two big fights.

10. Donald Cerrone – 7.025.800 $

It's just that the man with themore UFC recordsis in the top 10 of this list. Although he was never champion, Donald Cerrone earned every penny he earned, fought up to five times a year and was always ready to put on a show.

he just passed7 million dollarsrevealed throughout his career. While he certainly made more money main eventing UFC 246 against Conor McGregor, if you include PPV numbers (although Cowboy claimshe got $0 from PPVin that fight), his highest earnings per disclosed wage fight of 2019 was against Al Iaquinta, where he won$ 410.000.

9. Georges St-Pierre – 7.037.000 $

Despite being one of the best MMA fighters to ever sit in the Octagon, Georges St-Pierre was never a big PPV attraction, as his fights often went the distance. If not for the last fight against Michael Bisping that gave GSP middleweight gold, he would be at least ten places behind on the list.

He won little more7 million dollarsin paychecks released throughout your career, and so on$2.6 millionfrom that sum he walked out in the last fight of his career - four years after he had originally retired.

8. Junior dos Santos – $7,110,000

Dos Santos is a popular former heavyweight champion known for his outspoken attitude and deadly punching power. His career ended with him$7.1 millionin disclosed pay, though he probably got higher PPV percentages in some of his bigger fights.

One of his highest paid fights was the rematch against Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title. Although Junior dos Santos was eliminated in the first round, he recovered a little$ 800.000for the fight.

7. Michael Bisping – 7.135.000 $

Michael Bisping was paid roughly the same amount for each of his fights from November 2009 until his seven-year-old world title. The Count made his money with persistence and consistency, having over 25 UFC fights under his feet and a reported profit of7.135.000 $.

He received more money for his first title defense against Dan Henderson and his loss against Georges St-Pierre. Both fights got himabout half a millionno PPV actions.

6. Jon Jones – 7.230.000 $

Yes, Jon Jones has a lot more than that.$7.23 millionduring his UFC career. However, we don't know about PPV actions; We only have the wallets revealed after each event. Arguably the greatest fighter to ever compete in the UFC, he earns all of his money despite having a lot of controversy surrounding him and his illustrious career.

Now that Bones is back and has been pretty active for a while, it looks like he's in the market for a big raise, as he's refused to fight for over a year since his bout with Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. According to rumors;he wants a shot at heavyweight gold, who would definitely receive his career pay far above the current amount.

5. Anderson Silva – 8.732.000 $

Anderson Silva has always been the face ofUFC and MMAIn general. He was unbeatable and incredibly fun, but he didn't make any real money until he lost his belt. His first fight against Chris Weidman was the first available$ 600.000for showing up, and the same amount continued until his retirement.

Your greatest reward cameUFC208when he came$ 820.000for defeating Derek Brunson - the usual$ 600.000to show off,$ 20.000sponsorship from Reebok and others$ 200.000to victory.

4. Andrei Arlovski – 9.844.000 $

The fact that Andrei Arlovski is so high on this list might come as a surprise to most fans, especially young fans who haven't seen the pit bull in his prime. In fact, quite a bit (approx.3 million dollars) of Arlovski's career earnings came from a few fights between his UFC appearances - most notably a$1.5 millionFight against Fedor Emelianenko in 2009 at Affliction.

But even if you took those few fights away, Andrei would still be there7 million dollarspaid in his UFC career with no PPV numbers, which would only knock him down a few spots on this list.

He got his money's worth with longevity and earned well over$ 300.000in his last ten career fights.

3. Alistair Overeem – 10.204.500 $

If we were to release the salary for every fight Alistair Overeem has ever fought outside of the UFC, this would be it$10.2 millionwould probably double. Still, it's so rare for a UFC fighter to break the $10 million mark that only two other guys have managed it (not counting PPV numbers, of course).

Most of the money came from a huge contract Reem signed with the UFC from May 2016 to November 2018. At least Alistair understood$ 800.000for each of the seven fights in that period, he was paid half of the money he earned during his UFC tenure.

2 Khabib Nurmagomedov - $ 14.770.000

For a man who has only lost a round or two in his career, let alone a fight (29-0), it's no wonder Khabib Nurmagomedov tops this list. However, he gained a huge92.9% of his career earnings from his last three fights, starting with Conor McGregor's fight at UFC 229.

he should have done2 million dollarsfor this fight but ended up getting paid$ 500.000for the post-fight incident. How he abused McGregor finally showed the UFC what he was worth, so he got paid6 million dollarsfor each of his next two fights, plus$ 90.000each fight for performance bonuses and post-fight bonuses.

PPV numbers were never revealed, but it's not a stretch to assume they were.much larger than $6 million.

1. Conor McGregor – 20.102.000 $

First place goes to UFC's golden boy,Conor McGregor. He's by far the most promotion-deserving guy in history, so it's only fitting that he behighest paid UFC fighter in history.

Every fighter who fought him got the best he ever got in his career ("Night of the Red Panties"), whether you love him or hate him, McGregor is a business genius.

O20 million dollarson reported salaries is nothing compared to what he got from PPV percentages, but we'll never know for sure. There's no way to know for sure, but he claimed he made good money50 million dollarsof the Nurmagomedov fight and a relay80 million dollarsagainst Donald Cerrone in his next fight.

The question remains whether this is true. Disclosed or not, however, Forbes didMcGregoras number onehighest paid athlete in the world in 2021, so it's no wonder he also tops this list. [1]