Who are some of the UFC’s highest paid athletes of past and present?
The UFC is the biggest company for mixed martial arts in the world, and therefore many of the company’s biggest stars get lucrative purses whenever they are involved on cards throughout the year.
It’s only the biggest stars that get the sizeable wages from the UFC, with those lower on the card unlikely to even make a six-figure sum. However, who are some of the highest paid athletes in the UFC, past and present?
Conor McGregor
We will start will the most predictable name on the list, as Conor McGregor is by far and way the best paid UFC star in the world today. Despite losing his last two bouts to Dustin Poirier, he remains the main attraction when it comes to the UFC, as fighters that get to go in the octagon with him are able to pick up a life-changing purse.
McGregor is reportedly the highest earning UFC star right now, as he is worth a staggering $20 million. This is a value higher than some of the highest-paid NFL players of all time.
However, it’s likely that he has made slightly more than that during his career, as he reportedly earned $50 million for his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov and $80 million from the following fight against Donald Cerrone. McGregor also ranked top of the highest-paid athlete list by Forbes in 2021.
Alistair Overeem
There aren’t many fighters that have been able to break the $10 million barrier in the UFC, but Alistair Overeem is one of those. The UFC star has reportedly earned $10,204,500 during his UFC career, and that total could be doubled taking into account his career outside of the company.
The majority of the money made during his UFC career came with the contract that he signed with the company between May 2016 and November 2018, as he picked up a reported $800,000 per fight for the seven that he had during that time frame. The respected fighter is still an active UFC fighter to this day, as he made his last appearance in the octagon back in February 2021, as he was beaten by TKO punches by Alexander Volkov.
Andrei Arlovski
A name that not many would have thought would make it on to the top of the list is Andrei Arlovski. However, the 42-year-old from Belarus has made just under $10 million during his career with the UFC. The biggest purses of his career came during his prime, as he received $1.5 million for taking a fight against Fedor Emelianenko in 2009.
However, his longevity throughout his career ensures that he is more than deserving of a place on the highest earners, and it was reported that he made $300,000 from the last ten fights of his career. His last fight in the UFC came in October 2021, as he beat Carlos Felipe by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night. That was his third fight this calendar year, and was his 32nd victory in 54 bouts.
Anderson Silva
There are few more instantly recognisable stars in the world of MMA and UFC than Anderson Silva. For many years, Silva was the biggest star in the company, as fans turned in to see the dominant middleweight and light heavyweight dispatch of his rivals. He is regarded by many, including Joe Rogan, as one of the greatest MMA stars of all-time.
During his career in UFC, he picked up just under $9 million in prize money. One of his big payouts came after losing the title, as he received $600,000 after fighting against Chris Weidman. However, his highest cash return from an appearance in the octagon came at UFC 208, as he picked up $820,000 after beating Derek Brunson.
