Top 5 Highest Earning MMA Fighters
As more people enjoy watching mixed martial arts (MMA), the top fighters are earning much more money than ever before.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the premier organization in MMA, and its fighters are among the highest paid athletes globally.
In 2023, the sport is expected to continue its exponential growth, with the highest earning UFC fighters predicted to make millions of dollars. They will get this money from different sources like fight purses, sponsorship agreements, and other activities away from the octagon.
Here is our list of the fighters in MMA who make the most money.
- At the top of the list is Conor McGregor, an Irish superstar who is considered one of the best fighters in the history of the UFC. McGregor has made more than $20 million in his career, and is the UFC fighter who has earned the most money ever.
McGregor is worth about $300 million because he has been successful in and out of the Octagon. The champion hasn’t fought since 2021, but he is still very well-liked and will make a lot of money when he comes back to fight.
He has been busy away from the octagon and has been highly sort after by online betting operators for his ability to captivate audiences beyond the MMA world. Most of the top sportsbooks in the home of the UFC, the United States, have at one time or the other used the charismatic Irishman to promote their top betting bonuses.
- Another fighter who has made a lot of money in the UFC is a famous Russian named Khabib Nurmagomedov. The previous lightweight champion decided to stop competing in 2020. He never lost any of his matches and won all 29 of them.
Throughout his career, he earned around $16 million. Nurmagomedov is famous for his strong wrestling abilities and how he can take control of his opponents when they are on the ground. He was very popular in the UFC. Even though he is not working anymore, Nurmagomedov is still very well liked in the sport and is likely to make a lot of money from sponsorships and other projects.
- Alistair Overeem, a Dutch heavyweight, has made a lot of money in the UFC. Overeem has been fighting in MMA for more than 20 years and has participated in the biggest competitions like Strikeforce and Pride FC.
He has made around $10 million from his career, mostly because of his great record of 47 wins and 19 losses. Even though Overeem is nearing the end of his career, he is still very well-liked and valued as a heavyweight fighter in the UFC. It is predicted that he will make a lot of money in his upcoming fights.
- Anderson Silva is a famous fighter from Brazil who earns a lot of money in the UFC. The boxer who used to be the middleweight champion has made around $9 million in total from his fights. He is considered to be one of the best fighters in the history of UFC.
Silva has a very special way of striking and is really good at ending fights with great accuracy. Because of this, many fans really like him, and he has been a part of the UFC for more than ten years. Despite being in his 40s, Silva is still a highly popular fighter in the sport and is likely to make a lot of money from sponsorships and other opportunities.
- British fighter Michael Bisping is one of the highest-paid UFC fighters in 2023. Bisping stopped fighting in 2017 after winning 30 and losing 9 times. He made around $7 million throughout his career. Bisping was famous for being strong and always bouncing back from tough situations.
He was loved by fans and one of the top athletes in the UFC. Even though he doesn’t fight anymore, Bisping is still well-liked in the sport and will make a lot of money by talking about and analyzing it.
To sum up, the UFC fighters who make the most money in 2023 will likely earn millions of dollars from their fights, sponsorship deals, and other money-making ventures.
Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Alistair Overeem, Anderson Silva, and Michael Bisping are some of the highest-paid athletes in the sport because they have great skills and are loved by fans.
As more people become interested in the sport, it is expected that the top UFC fighters will make even more money in the future.
Please be aware that these numbers are only approximations and may not account for all the money earned through sponsorships, endorsements, and other business opportunities that are not related to the UFC.