Highest Paid UFC Fighters (2022): Conor Mcgregor, Jorge Masvidal, Amanda Nunes and more
When people talk about money in MMA, they usually discuss how fighters are underpaid. And that’s true, a lot of UFC fighters compete on the world stage for low paychecks, and even have to work a second job to support their career, and we have already written about that. But on the other side, there are more than a few fighters who have made dozens of millions from being a top UFC fighter.
So in this article, we are bringing you the highest-paid UFC athletes, and how much money they have earned over the years. Let’s dive into it!
Conor Mcgregor
The Irishman is, in some way, synonymous with money in MMA as he is, by far, the highest-paid fighter in history. While most other top fighters from this list are worth from 5 to 10 million, Mcgregor’s net worth is close to $500 million and is only growing year by year. Just for his third fight with Dustin Poirier, he cashed out a whopping $20 million. He was making $79,138 per second in that fight, which is crazy. The rest of his money comes from endorsement deals he has with DraftKings, Monster Energy, and Beats by Dre.
conor mcgregor highest paid fight
Conor McGregor’s highest-paid fight was his rematch against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 in January 2021. He earned an estimated $22 million for the fight, which included his base purse of $5 million, a share of pay-per-view revenue, and sponsorships. The fight was a pay-per-view success, selling over 1.6 million units.
In 2021, he topped Forbs’s rich list by cashing out a staggering $150 million from his “Proper 12” Whiskey business. He ranked higher than all other athletes like Tom Brady, Lebron James, or Lionel Messi. Just think about that.
He is also involved in the fashion industry, fitness and training programs, media, and various other business ventures. In short, everything he touches turns into gold.
Jorge Masvidal
The popular “Street Jesus” is a veteran of the game who has been around for more than a decade. Although he is a top UFC fighter, Masvidal comes from humble beginnings. He spent many years fighting for low paychecks before he became a UFC star. His breakthrough fight was, of course, the one in which he knocked out Darren Till in 2019.
From that point, he would start cashing out six-figure paychecks and land some big endorsement deals. As he continued to knock people out, the growth of his net worth also followed. His estimated worth is around $6 million and he makes more than half a million per fight from the UFC alone.
Masvidal is a rich man who invests his money wisely. In 2021 he lunched a mezcal brand called “El Recuerdo de Oaxaca Joven” together with the famous brand, Recuerdo Mezcal. He also started his own fighting promotion called “Gamebred Fighting Championship” and lives in a $1.6 million scarface-inspired mansion in Miami.
Amanda Nunes
Nunes is the greatest female MMA fighter in the history of MMA. Thus, you might be surprised to hear that her net worth is “just” around $4 million. Yes, this is a lot of money for average people who work regular 9–5 jobs. But Nunes should have earned a lot more thus far considering what she has achieved inside the cage. And on top of that, her fighting style is very, very exciting.
Nunes is getting around half a million (including bonuses) per fight and is also getting a small portion of the PPV sales. Once again, bear in mind that she is the greatest female fighter in MMA history.
Things do not get better if we move to her endorsement deals. While most other champions can double their net worth through sponsorship deals, a large part of Nunes’s net worth actually comes from her UFC purse.
Valentina Shevchenko
When you look at the big picture, Shevchenko might be the greatest female combat sports athlete in history. She is a multiple world champ in Muay Thai, Kickboxing, UFC, and is European Taekwondo champ as well. She has that aura of invincibility around her, the same one Anderson Silva or Conor Mcgregor have had. If you look at her UFC earnings, the Ukrainian queen is cashing out close to $400.000 per fight without money from PPV she gets as a champ.
But her net worth is almost doubled by her endorsements. She is the face of various popular brands like “Girls with Guns” clothing, GuardLab, LUCHO shoes, and many, many more. In total, her net worth is estimated at around $5 million, which means that she is worth more than her rival Amanda Nunes.
Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier is a former UFC interim champ who has earned a fortune in the last couple of years.
Like most other fighters, he too had spent almost a decade of his fighting career earning five figures. But what has boosted his income are the two back to back fights that he had with Conor McGregor in 2021. And of course, the fact that he finished the Irishman in both fights. His estimated net worth is more than $6 million, and here are some of his endorsements and businesses.
Some of his main sponsors are Venum, Robert Graham, and Celsius Energy Drink. In 2020, he tweeted that he is launching a brand new Cajun hot sauce called “Poirier’s Louisiana Style” in partnership with the Canadian company, Heartbeat Hot Sauce Co. Besides fighting and business, he is also involved in a lot of charity work with his wife Jolie.
Jose Aldo
Coming from the streets of Rio, Aldo is the former UFC champ and one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport. He has been fighting at the highest UFC levels for more than a decade and has made a lot of money thus far. On average, Aldo is earning slightly below half a million, and over the course of his career, he has made roughly around 6,262,500 from the UFC alone. But bear in mind that he is a megastar in Brazil. He has many endorsements deals and his net worth is over $9 million.
It’s great to see Aldo doing well for himself because he comes from really humble beginnings. Back when he was working his way up in the WEC promotion, he stated that his biggest motivation is to “My dream, my goal is to own my own house”. According to his friends and coaches, during this time, he would often show up in a gym hungry.
Israel Adesanya
When it comes to combat sports, Israel Adesanya might be a total package. He is young, good-looking, charming, confident, and very, very exciting to watch. That being said, it’s not a surprise that he has become one of the UFC’s top earners. On average, he is making close to $600.000 per fight just to show up, and since he enjoys a champ status, he is also getting a percentage of PPV sales. In total, he is making up to over a million dollars per fight.
Outside of the game, he has active endorsement deals with brands like Engage. But what really boosted his net worth was the deal he landed with the athletic footwear and apparel company Puma in 2020. In Fact, Adesanya became the first fighter to sign an endorsement deal with this famous brand.
Kamaru Usman
The next top earner on this list is the UFC 170 pound champ, Kamaru Usman. On average, he is getting around $650.000 to show up, and anywhere from $250.000 to $900.000 from the PPV revenue. When you sum it all up, you get that Kamaru Usman is earning close to $1.5 million per fight from the UFC alone.
As all other fighters, he has sponsorship deals with Venum, Monster Energy, and Crypto.com, the main UFC sponsors. But on top of that, Usman works with ProSupps, Love Hemp, and many other brands that boost his net worth. In his words, he spent the first million on himself, and the rest to support his family. His total net worth is approximately $7 million but is also rapidly growing with every fight.
