The UFC is an American MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) organization based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the biggest and most dynamic promoter of MMA in the world. Some UFC fighters have earned a massive amount of money by entertaining the crowd, both inside and outside the Octagon. Not only that, they also secure major endorsement deals with some of the largest brands in the world.
In the early days of the UFC, fighters would jump into Octagon for pride and only a few dollars. Now they jump into the cage for millions. It’s hard to determine precisely how much money combat athletes earned. Listed below are the net worths of the wealthiest UFC fighters, as of 2020.
10. Nate Diaz (Net Worth $8 Million)
For most of his career, Nate Diaz was largely underpaid, especially given the names he faced. However that all changed, after one big opportunity he took on short notice.
Diaz shocked the world by stepping up to fight Conor McGregor (more on him later), on just a few week’s notice, submitting the then-featherweight champ. From there his popularity skyrocketed, as did his paychecks. Now he has headlined some massive cards, earning multiple massive paydays, making him one of the sport’s richest fighters.
9. Dan Henderson (Net Worth $8 Million)
Another longtime veteran of the MMA game, Dan Henderson first made his transition to the sport, after an Olympic level wrestling career. He immediately found success, becoming the first ever person to hold two simultaneous titles in a major organization, with the Pride Middleweight and Welterweight championships.
Although Hendo was never able to secure UFC gold, he did win belts in Strikeforce before that organization was purchased by Zuffa. From there, he had mixed results at 205lb, before dropping down to 185. Here he ended his career on a relative high note, with a big money title fight that he nearly won, before retiring in 2016.
8. Jon Jones (Net Worth $10 Million)
Considered to be one of the greatest talents the sport has ever seen, Jon Jones has more title wins than anyone in UFC history. Naturally this kind of success leads to big sponsorships, and even bigger money.
However Jon’s career has been riddled with controversy, both in and out of the cage. These issues have led to loss of aforementioned sponsors, as well as large periods of inactivity. Ultimately this is what has him at this spot on the list, instead of higher up.
7. Ronda Rousey (Net Worth $14 Million)
While she did not compete in the sport for that long, Ronda Rousey has become one of the sport’s biggest crossover stars. Her Olympic Judo credentials translated smoothly to her MMA career, helping her go 12-0 at the start oglf her career.
After losing two fights in a row, Ronda would transition to the WWE. Here she was a part of the first WrestleMania event to be headlined by an all female match. She continues to find success and earn money, all without fighting for real.
6. Alistair Overeem (Net Worth $15.5 Million)
It may be surprising to see Alistair Overeem as our number five entry, given the fact he has never won a UFC title. That being said, he has been able to negotiate his way to making nearly $1 million per fight, largely due to his veteran status.
Over the years, the Reem has faced the best of the best in the heavyweight division of the UFC for nearly a decade. His record has been mixed, but he earned his way to a title shot in 2016. Even though he ultimately came up short, he has seen enough success in the sport to be financially set for life.
5. Anderson Silva: (Net Worth $18 Million)
Former middleweight champion Anderson Silva was super dominating in his prime. He is regarded as one of the best fighters in the UFC history.
Silva won UFC gold in 2006, and didn’t lose any fight for roughly seven years. Then, on July 6, 2013, Chris Weidman defeated him via TKO in the second round, and finally ended the longest title reign in UFC history. Anderson became a huge draw on PPV and netted several million over the course of his fighting career. He also earned massive endorsement deals with Nike, Burger King, and other blue-chip brands.
4. BJ Penn (Net Worth $22 Million)
BJ ‘The Prodigy’ Penn is considered one of the biggest names to ever walk into the Octagon. Arguably he is among one of the best UFC fighters, as well.
Penn is one of the few men to win titles in multiple weight divisions. Despite a less-than-stellar record of 16-10, he is not a winning fighter but remains one of the biggest draws in the sport. Additionally, he comes from a wealthy family, and runs a website under his namesake. His biggest UFC pay-per-view event ever was at UFC 94 where he competes against Georges St-Pierre in a rematch for the welterweight title.
3. Brock Lesnar (Net Worth $28 Million)
Brock Lesnar has found success in the WWE, NCAA Wrestling, and the UFC, winning championships in all three sports. He is considered a high profile athlete and made it to the list of richest MMA fighters.
After making a big name in WWE, Lesnar shifted his focus to UFC where he earned a lucrative deal. He lost his debut, before winning four straight. In 2008 he defeated Randy Couture, won the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Lesnar is responsible for some of the top-selling events of all-time for the promotion, headlining UFC 100 and 116. His estimated worth is $22 million currently, as he has returned to professional wrestling, where he is still a major draw.
2. Georges St. Pierre (Net Worth $30 Million)
Georges St. Pierre is the most prominent Canadian fighter in the sport’s history, with a 26-2 record. He was the first fighter ever to retire as a UFC champion on a win streak, only to return in a new weight class and capture another belt.
The only two losses on GSP’s record came to Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. However he came back to beat both men dominantly, taking Hughe’s title, and recapturing the belt from Serra. He was hailed as the first person to be a professional ambassador for the sport, which earned him some serious money over the years.
1. Conor McGregor (Net Worth $120 Million)
The least surprising entry on our list just so happens to be the number one earner. Conor McGregor is without a doubt, the most famous fighter the UFC has ever seen.
McGregor stormed into the UFC in 2013, exploding in popularity as he capture the interim featherweight title, before unifying that title, then moving to lightweight to become the UFC’s first ever “Champ-Champ.” Additionally, he followed this up with a legendary boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, where he earned six figures. This, combined with his popular whiskey brand, and the fact that he holds the records for all of the top selling PPV’s in the sport, makes the former champ an easy call for the richest fighter on the UFC’s roster.
Who is the richest UFC fighter?
As per our editorial research team Conor McGregor is the richest UFC fighter, with the net worth of $120 million.
What did you think of our list? Were there any fighters that surprised you?
2 thoughts on “The Top 10 Richest UFC Fighters”
Didn’t Dana say a couple months ago that Khabib is worth upwards of 80 mil?
No Khabib is rich too get your facts right!