Forbes’ 2026 highest-paid athletes list is out, and MMA got blanked again.
The top 50 includes two boxers and zero MMA fighters. Canelo Alvarez ranked No. 2 with $170 million, while Jake Paul ranked No. 23 with $70 million. The cutoff was $54.6 million, the total Forbes listed for tennis star Jannik Sinner at No. 50.
Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list for the fourth straight year at $300 million. For UFC, the shutout lands during another year where Conor McGregor’s UFC 329 return against Max Holloway is still the sport’s clearest path back into that money tier.
Jake Paul and Canelo are the only fighters on Forbes’ new 2026 highest-paid athletes list 👀
No MMA fighters made it pic.twitter.com/eFzzz6JqTq
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) May 22, 2026
Canelo And Jake Paul Made The Cut, UFC Fighters Did Not
Canelo’s total included $160 million in boxing earnings and $10 million in endorsements. The Mexican star has held world titles across four weight classes and became boxing’s first undisputed super middleweight champion in 2021.
Paul’s total included $60 million from boxing and $10 million from endorsements. He remained a major boxing earner even after the Anthony Joshua loss and jaw injury put his boxing future in doubt.
No UFC fighter made the top 50 for the second straight year. That is the part UFC cannot dress up. The promotion has pay-per-view stars, global distribution, and constant combat sports attention, but none of its athletes reached Forbes’ cutoff.
McGregor has been the rare MMA exception. The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion topped Forbes’ 2021 list, but that year was powered heavily by the Proper No. 12 whiskey sale rather than a normal UFC payday. His Floyd Mayweather payday also came from boxing, not MMA.
McGregor faces Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11, more than a decade after their first fight. That bout could put him back in the Forbes conversation for 2027, but McGregor’s past appearances on these lists show the same problem every time. MMA money alone rarely reaches the top of the sports world.
Canelo and Paul cleared the line. Every UFC fighter missed it.
