*Top 20 Highest Paid Fighters In UFC History*

[airic_15]

just so people know this is total money made through out entire career in the ufc not in one fight. That confused me at first so people who have more fights will probably be higher then others

 

[aker2703]

Been around a lot longer and it's easier to bet on.

Mayweather said he cracked 80 Million with his last fight, most analysts think $60-$70mil ppv cut plus his sponsorships etc. it's probably right.

I hear the showtime deal puts him around $100 million a fight if it does 1 million or more PPVs.

just for fun please show me how mayweather can possibly make $100 million from 1 million PPV buys. Mayweather numbers are always exaggerated.

 

[BrutalBoy]

Gomi has made 1/2 a mil with the UFC? didnt even know he ws paid that much

 

[AmericanMMA]

It's clear ppv cuts are not included. Gsp has said he makes around 5 mil a fight, so I can only imagine how much silva makes. This list is not lagit.

 

[irish_thug]

That is only reported pay which is meaningless due to the mysterious locker room bonuses and PPV cut, both of which can be significantly more than their contracted pay. For example Ian McCall said the UFC paid him over $80k when his reported pay was only $12k. Sean McCorkle and couple other people I can't think of right now have said similar things regarding their pay.

If you are to believe what was said before the second Chael fight, it was reported that Anderson was paid seven million dollars for that fight and that wasn't even including his sponsors.

I recognize that it dosn't include locker room bonuses but even for contracted disclosed pay the most dominant fighter in the UFC is paid less (on paper) than a guy who chokes in every big fight he gets? No logic.

 

[kaltkalt]

It doesn't include licensing deals and promotional/sponsorship stuff.

And it doesn't include benefits either. GSP just had some expensive healthcare.

Finally, keep in mind some of these guys, like Chuck and Tito and some others, have been around a long time and started off back when fighters were paid less. MMA wasn't as big back then, nor was the money. It's even less fair to guys like Royce Gracie and the Shamrocks, Bas Rutten, etc. Compared to this they got paid jack shit for their fights.

It's not fair to compare it to boxing. Literally two boxers make 100 million (and one just got KO'd bigtime), every other boxer makes peanuts. Even getting a sponsor is difficult. Boxing has been around 150+ years and it a very established sport. Everyone in the UFC is free to go pursue boxing careers - note that they do not. The reality is boxing is a dying sport and you're better off in MMA these days. Better to have a chance at a good lifestyle for you and your family than wishful hopes of 100 million bucks. And I have a feeling Maywheather and Pacman are the last 2 boxers EVER to make that type of money. People don't care and boxing is too fractured... plus all the horrible bullshit controversial decisions/endings to fights, the sport doesn't seem on the level anymore. Plus having Mayweather and Pacquiao refuse to fight each other all these years really hurt boxing as well. I couldn't even tell you who the HW champs are these days (there are what, 5 or 6 belts?). Do the Klitschko bros still have those belts? They did last I heard, but it seems it's been years since I last heard anything about them or saw either of them fight. Talk about world's most boring fighters. They both literally jab themselves to decisions. And they're both only really popular in Germany.

I'd say UFC fighters will get paid more and more, but with increased competition from Bellator (which is probably more appealing to anyone with a sense of fairness since they have a tournament format to determine title challengers and don't just give title shots to undeserving, unranked talky jackasses who will ostensibly sell the most PPVs). The fact is the UFC seems to be having serious financial difficulties, and won't be paying fighters more anytime soon. Bonuses have dropped from $65k to $50k beginning this year. The UFC has spent too much money trying to expand and holding events weekly or biweekly. It's bleeding money. Thus the 18 or so cuts and the 100 more expected.

 

[Fury]

Many top performing fighters get additional bonuses paid out to them that aren't reported, plus the top guys get a cut of the pay-per-view buys for events that they headline

I'll add this to the op

Plus, all foreign fights and some domestic fights are estimates as number aren't released.

 

[Roxxo]

I recognize that it dosn't include locker room bonuses but even for contracted disclosed pay the most dominant fighter in the UFC is paid less (on paper) than a guy who chokes in every big fight he gets? No logic.

My guess would be that it is due to the PPV cut. I would guess that Anderson likely settled on a lower show/win rate for a larger PPV cut.

I should also add that even if what I said is the truth, I agree that it is peculiar for someone like Bisping to have higher base rate than someone like Anderson.

 

[BlastbeatPete]

11 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira * $2,640,000
20 Frank Mir * $1,433,000

This is hard to believe. Mir with 20 UFC fights and has been involved in bigger fights than Nogueira, who has fought only eight times in the UFC.

 

[ShootFighter09**]

Brock Lesnar has 4 of the top 10 UFC PPV in UFC History. Assume he was getting 3 to 6 dollars for each PPV buy.

 

[rondog6669]

I was lucky enough to help Frank train for his fight with JDS( I know he lost my fault blah blah) he made 4% of the PPV that night so numbers are allot higher than reported

 

[ShootFighter09**]

just for fun please show me how mayweather can possibly make $100 million from 1 million PPV buys. Mayweather numbers are always exaggerated.

This is hillarious.

PPV costs 60 USD x 1 Million buys. 60 Million. Figure a few sponsors 2 or 3 million. He is not getting all the PPV money. In fact, same as UFC, cable company takes 40% off the top.

 

[GKY]

Another interesting article talking about pay per view cuts, though it is speculative. This article still doesn't take into consideration sponsor pay and it estimates GSP making around 1.5 million a fight.

Source: http://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-articles/georges-stpierre-5-million-ufc-fight/

That article is inherently inaccurate. We've seen Alistairs, Alvarezs and Coutures contracts before. Going purely Alvarezs, who definitely doesn't have as good a deal as GSP, GSP makes $2.50 per buy over 600,000. That's $1.75 million just on PPV bonus for the card that drew 700,000. Add that to his base pay and he gets approximately 2.25 million. Dana has also been known to give away ludicrous bonuses to his big stars, with Rampage claiming that once he got a bonus even bigger than his earnings for winning the fight. To low ball, we'll say that's 250,000 extra. So that means if GSP is on a card that pulls 700,000 (which he always is), he will pull in minimum 2.5million a fight just from the UFC (not including sponsors). That's also assuming he makes the same type of PPV cut as Alvarez, which is definitely hard to believe.

 

[Javery1313**]

just so people know this is total money made through out entire career in the ufc not in one fight. That confused me at first so people who have more fights will probably be higher then others

Damn. Good thing for sponsorship money and owning your own gyms because I thought Lyoto and Anderson had made a lot more than that in their UFC careers

 

[Crotte Molle]

I always say you could argue he is the greatest non champion ever

Greatest non-champion ever to do what exactly? Be overpaid?

 

[Only ONE GOAT]

So if anderson is number 8. What does it mean when someone makes Anderson Silva money?

 

[agmattingly]

That article is inherently inaccurate. We've seen Alistairs, Alvarezs and Coutures contracts before. Going purely Alvarezs, who definitely doesn't have as good a deal as GSP, GSP makes $2.50 per buy over 600,000. That's $1.75 million just on PPV bonus for the card that drew 700,000. Add that to his base pay and he gets approximately 2.25 million. Dana has also been known to give away ludicrous bonuses to his big stars, with Rampage claiming that once he got a bonus even bigger than his earnings for winning the fight. To low ball, we'll say that's 250,000 extra. So that means if GSP is on a card that pulls 700,000 (which he always is), he will pull in minimum 2.5million a fight just from the UFC (not including sponsors). That's also assuming he makes the same type of PPV cut as Alvarez, which is definitely hard to believe.

I stated that it is an interesting article, though speculative. It also states that it does not include other bonuses or sponsor money. I agree that it is probably more, but I haven't found a definite source yet as to exactly how much he makes. If you have one I would love to read it. Seriously, I would be interested in reading it, not saying this in a sarcastic way. GSP claims to make 4-5 millions per fight, but I have yet to see any verification of this either.

 

[GoodOleWrasslin]

Suprised A. Silva is not ranked higher.. Top 20 most paid UFC fighters in UFC history combined made a about same money as couple fights by Mayweather(or Pacman).

Dont sleep on PPV bonuses. They make much more in PPV bonuses then they do from their base salary. Its like the CEO of a fortune 500 company, they get a base salary of 500K and then bonuses in the millions.

 

[The Dacian]

I always say you could argue he is the greatest non champion ever

Really? He's never even earned a shittle tot.

 

[big_hungry_joe]

Looks like Anderson Silva money isn't all it's cracked up to be