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: May 17, 2024
| Rank | Fighter | Weight Class | Total Compensation |
| 1 | Conor McGregor | Featherweight, Lightweight | $39.3 million |
| 2 | Khabib Nurmagomedov | Lightweight | $22.9 million |
| 3 | Alistair Overeem | Heavyweight | $15.4 million |
| 4 | Anderson Silva | Middleweight | $13.5 million |
| 5 | Andrei Arlovski | Heavyweight | $11.2 million |
| 6 | Michael Bisping | Middleweight | $11.1 million |
| 7 | Junior Dos Santos | Heavyweight | $11 million |
| 8 | Georges St-Pierre | Welterweight, Middleweight | $10.95 million |
| 9 | Jon Jones | Light Heavyweight, Heavyweight | $10.9 million |
| 10 | Donald Cerrone | Lightweight, Welterweight | $10.6 million |
| 11 | Daniel Cormier | Light Heavyweight, Heavyweight | $10.2 million |
| 12 | Mark Hunt | Heavyweight | $9.8 million |
| 13 | Stipe Miocic | Heavyweight | $9.4 million |
| 14 | Vitor Belfort | Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, Middleweight | $9 million |
| 15 | Dan Henderson | Middleweight | $8.5 million |
| 16 | Brock Lesnar | Heavyweight | $5.295 million |
| 17 | Jose Aldo | Bantamweight, Featherweight | $5.27 million |
| 18 | Mauricio Rua | Light Heavyweight | $5.27 million |
| 19 | Frankie Edgar | Lightweight, Featherweight, Bantamweight | $5.158 million |
| 20 | Lyoto Machida | Light Heavyweight, Middleweight | $5.035 million |
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