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Friday, May 23, 2025

The 20 Highest-Paid UFC Fighters

  • Connor McGregor has earned more than six of the highest-paid UFC Fighters combined.
  • The top five highest-paid UFC fighters represent 45% of the total earnings.
Conor McGregor draped in the Ireland flag
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

UFC fighters pay a tremendous toll on their bodies to fight for a living. It helps to get compensated well for the beating. 

Conor McGregor is the highest-earning UFC Fighter of all time. The former two-division champion has raked in $39.3 million from his fights. This doesn’t include Pay-Per-View earnings or endorsements. 

In 2016, ‘The NotoriousMMA’ held both the Featherweight and Lightweight championship belts. Only six other fighters have ever achieved this feat

His legendary trolling and pre-fight antics have helped him claim the top spot on the list of both the highest-earning and most watched UFC Fighters.

Khabib Nurmagomedov comes in as the second highest-earning UFC Fighter. Khabib ended his career in 2021 as the only UFC Fighter to ever retire undefeated. He earned $22.9 million during his time in the octagon, going 29-0 with eight wins by knockout and eleven by submission. 

Alistair Overeem began his fighting career at 19 and has earned $15.4 million over his two decades of fighting. As the third highest-earning UFC Fighter, Overeem never earned less than six figures for any of his fights during his UFC career. 

The man who still holds the record for the longest title defense in UFC History holds the fourth spot on the list. Anderson Silva, known as the Spider, has earned $13.5 million during his fighting career. 

He spent seven years as the undisputed UFC Middleweight Champion, recording 16 straight wins in that span. 

Rounding off the top five is heavyweight fighter Andrei Arlovski. Arlovski made his UFC debut at UFC 28, defeating Aaron Brink by submission

He earned the most money in a single fight in a loss to Fedor Emelianenko in 2009. Under the Affliction MMA brand, the fight grossed Andrei ‘The Pitbull’ Arlovski $1.5 million. 

Out of the top 20 highest-earning UFC Fighters, over half of them have earned over $10 million. Only Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov have eclipsed the $20 million mark in career earnings. 

Ranking The Highest-Earning UFC Fighters

Here is the list of the highest-earning UFC Fighters, compiled using data from BetMGM.

Updated: December 6, 2024

RankFighterWeight ClassTotal Compensation
1Conor McGregorFeatherweight, Lightweight$39.3 million
2Khabib NurmagomedovLightweight$22.9 million
3Alistair OvereemHeavyweight$15.4 million
4Anderson SilvaMiddleweight$13.5 million
5Andrei ArlovskiHeavyweight$11.2 million
6Michael BispingMiddleweight$11.1 million
7Junior Dos SantosHeavyweight$11 million
8Georges St-PierreWelterweight, Middleweight$10.95 million
9Jon JonesLight Heavyweight, Heavyweight$10.9 million
10Donald CerroneLightweight, Welterweight$10.6 million
11Daniel CormierLight Heavyweight, Heavyweight$10.2 million
12Mark HuntHeavyweight$9.8 million
13Stipe MiocicHeavyweight$9.4 million
14Vitor BelfortHeavyweight, Light Heavyweight, Middleweight$9 million
15Dan HendersonMiddleweight$8.5 million
16Brock LesnarHeavyweight$5.295 million
17Jose AldoBantamweight, Featherweight$5.27 million
18Mauricio RuaLight Heavyweight$5.27 million
19Frankie EdgarLightweight, Featherweight, Bantamweight$5.158 million
20Lyoto MachidaLight Heavyweight, Middleweight$5.035 million

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