The sport of Mixed Martial Arts is a real success story. When it began to turn professional in the 1990s, it remained on the fringes for some time. More established combat sports such as boxing continued to hold center stage in those early days.
Now, MMA is big business and much of that is down to the hard work carried out by its biggest organization. Ultimate Fighting Championship has the top stars on its roster and its tireless promotional work has put the sport in front of an audience of millions.
Industry Support
Fighters on the UFC schedule can now earn significant sums due to the increased interest in Mixed Martial Arts. Millions of dollars are poured into the sport via external industries such as TV broadcasters and sports betting companies.
As a result, many UFC stars are now ranked among the richest athletes in the world. Here is a rundown of the top ten highest earners along with some details of their revenue sources.
Conor McGregor: $200 million
He’s known as ‘Notorious’ for a reason: Ireland’s Conor McGregor is arguably the UFC’s most recognizable fighter of all time. He’s captured media headlines for his exploits both in and out of the Octagon, and he’s built up a considerable net worth over the years.
A significant percentage of his income has been earned from the sport. McGregor was the first UFC fighter to hold championship titles in two separate weight categories. Away from UFC, he’s landed some useful endorsements through the likes of Reebok and Burger King.
Khabib Nurmagomedov: $40 million
Khabib was Conor McGregor’s great nemesis inside the Octagon and the two men continue to battle it out in terms of the UFC’s rich list. Russia’s Nurmagomedov retired from active fighting in 2020, but he stays involved in the sport via coaching and mentoring.
He was another UFC champion whose earnings in the sport are supplemented by external endorsements. Khabib has also worked with Reebok, while one of his more famous advertising campaigns involved Gorilla Energy.
Georges St-Pierre: $30 million
More commonly known as GSP during his fighting days, the Canadian Georges St-Pierre has one of the more diverse income streams among UFC athletes. Firstly, there are his earnings from the sport and many feel that GSP was the greatest ever UFC fighter.
He was a multiple champion, and he enjoyed many endorsements, but he’s followed a more unusual career path since retirement. St-Pierre is now a full time actor who has starred in a number of top movies including Never Surrender and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Brock Lesnar: $25 million
While he enjoyed some success in UFC, it’s fair to say that Brock Lesnar will be remembered more for his work in the professional wrestling ring. He’s been a star of WWE for some time and the majority of his sporting income came from this discipline.
Lesnar’s high net worth of $25 million was also accrued from his time with UFC, along with a brief career in American football.
Tito Ortiz: $20 million
Another man with considerable interests outside of the UFC is Tito Ortiz. His career inside the Octagon was an impressive one, and he held the light heavyweight championship for three years between 2000 and 2003.
Since retirement, Ortiz has served as a politician, working for the Huntington Beach City Council.
Wanderlei Silva: $18 million
While he made a global name with UFC, Wanderlei Silva enjoyed more success with the PRIDE organization, for whom he still holds a number of records.
The veteran still competes in his native Brazil and the vast majority of his $18 million fortune has been made via the sport.
Ronda Rousey $13 million
The highest earning female in MMA history is Ronda Rousey, although her income has been spread across multiple sports. She competed with UFC between 2012 and 2016 and became the first women’s bantamweight champion within the organization.
Rousey has earned much of her $13 million net worth through endorsements, while a switch to professional wrestling with WWE, would have also proved lucrative.
Chuck Liddell: $12 million
A man who enjoyed a brief career with UFC, Chuck Liddell built a substantial fortune in a small period of time.
He was one of the pioneers of the sport, and Liddell is widely acknowledged for bringing MMA into the mainstream.
Frank Mir: $11 million
Frank Mir is winding down his career in the Bellator division, but he will be mostly remembered for his time with UFC. In the biggest organization of all, Mir still holds the record for most submissions.
External endorsements have included a promotion for the energy drink XYIENCE.
Yoel Romero: $10 million
Unlike some fighters on this list, Yoel Romero made most of his high net worth through his sporting activities.
Romero competed as a freestyle wrestler at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, before turning pro as an MMA fighter nine years later. His net worth of $10 million underlines just how much can be made from the sport alone.