The main organization promoting MMA (mixed martial arts) is the UFC and the majority of the popular fighters are signed with them. Not all of the UFC fighters bank million dollars amounts from their performance; however, the figures of the top champions may seem incredible. The most paid UFC stars gain five or six-figure salaries and for some of them, one fight can bring a fortune. Here is the list of the highest-paid MMA fighters of all time as of year 2020.
- Conor ‘Notorious’ McGregor, UFC
Official UFC salary income excluding the PPV points and other income sources: $123 000 000
Despite being a subject of interminable debates and disputes of his fighting mastery, Conor McGregor is the absolute winner in the category of the UFC earnings. He became the first fighter in Forbes 2020 list of the world's 100 highest-paid athletes. Such a figure is the biggest one in the history of the UFC earnings even though he has appeared in the Octagon only twice during the period from 2016 until 2020.
The total amount is not only made of the UFC winnings. For his first fight in 2020, he gained the official earning of $3 000 000 as a base salary including the win bonus and almost $50 000 000 from the pay-per-view points. He also becomes the favorite on sports books online according to the betting ratings.
Being the most popular and recognizable UFC star, he has such side earnings as:
- Reebok sponsorship
- Pay per view in the UFC
2. Alistair ‘The Demolition Man’ Overeem, UFC
Official UFC salary income excluding the PPV points and other income sources: $9 000 000:
Alistair Overeem received his first earning in the fight against Brock Lesnar which brought him almost $390 000. This was considered as the great start by the experts and enthusiasts and since then, he has made huge numbers of winnings. He is included in the top ten fighters getting wages for head strikes taken; according to the UFC records, he gains $36 542 for each head strike he gets from his rival.
The bizarre thing of his incredible income is that Alistair Overeem has never been the UFC champion; however, his total income may surpass the official UFC gains of $9 000 000 as he was also the participant of 46 fights in other promotions.
3. Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva, UFC
Official UFC salary income excluding the PPV points and other income sources: $8 100 000
Anderson Silva, the fighter from Brazil, is a significant figure in the MMA. He is most famous for his martial arts style, which, for some reason is considered inimitable by most experts.
His rating among the fans is not as high as many other top players’; however, his earnings include $2 for selling the PPV events. Thus, he has earned $8 100 000 as an official UFC basic fee and $9 600 000 from the pay-per-view sales. He is also paid for promoting the UFC and filming in commercial advertisements for such companies as Budweiser, Duracell, and others.
4. Georges ‘Rush’ St-Pierre, UFC
Official UFC salary income excluding the PPV points and other income sources: $7 000 000
Georges St-Pierre is one of the fighters who make money on being popular with the sponsors, fans, and advertisers. Most of his salary from the UFC was received from PPV points. The interesting fact is that his PPV payoff was not as high as many popular fighters’, however, his broadcasts were so popular that with 1USD per view he earned more than $10 000 000 per fight. His highest-paid fights were the ones with Nick Diaz and Johny Harvey Hendricks: they brought him cumulatively $9 000 000 while the basic payoff was about $400 000 per each fight for him.
5. Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping, UFC
Official UFC salary income excluding the PPV points and other income sources: $7 000 000
At the beginning of his MMA career in 2006, Michael Bisping's earnings were far from the biggest ones. His salary did not surpass $30 000; however, his fight at UFC 100 against Dan Henderson brought him about $300 000. The Reebok sponsorship also brings him extra gains. The official payments are less than $8 000 000, though.
As we see, the top mixed martial artists have made a fortune from their risky job. The peculiar thing about it is that it is not necessary to be a champion — the main thing is to make a show and be loved