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The UFC is the premier MMA promotion in the world. Thus, the highest-paid mixed martial artists typically fight under Dana White's banner. Throughout MMA history, the most well-known fighters have been credited with breaking down barriers for others. Urijah Faber, for example, is known for popularizing the smaller divisions that are celebrated as the deepest weight classes today.
Others, however, are responsible for setting different benchmarks. Chael Sonnen set the tone for modern-day trash-talking in the mixed martial arts world, while Brock Lesnar set the stage for future crossover stars whose massive appeal transcended the sport and captured the imagination of mainstream media. Thus, it stands to reason that, during his heyday, Lesnar was the highest-paid MMA fighter.
Today's roster features a man who has carried that torch for years now, as Conor McGregor has helmed MMA's most lucrative pay-per-view events for some time. No other fighter earns as much as the Irishman, but there are those on the roster who come close. While official payouts for UFC events are often not released, calculated guesses have been made for public information.
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This list aims to leverage that information and examine the top ten highest-paid active UFC fighters on the promotion's roster based on their 2021-22 earnings.
#10. Amanda Nunes
Former UFC women's bantamweight champion and current women's featherweight champion Amanda Nunes is widely regarded as the greatest women's MMA fighter of all time. She is a well-rounded mixed martial artist with unrivaled punching power, crippling low kicks, long reach, and good offensive Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
While the Brazilian great is yet to fight in 2022, she is currently scheduled to face the woman who snapped her long twelve-fight win streak: Julianna Peña. In one of the most shocking upsets in MMA history, Peña forced Nunes to tap out to a rear-naked choke with no hooks after outlasting the former bantamweight champion.
In her UFC 269 loss to Peña, Nunes reportedly earned $1 million (according to www.thesportsgrail.com and www.totalsportal.com). Her previous bout with Megan Anderson netted her a salary of $490,000 (per www.thesportsdaily.com).
#9. Max Holloway
Max 'Blessed' Holloway is a fighter beloved by many. He is a former featherweight champion who was once on one of the longest win streaks the promotion has ever seen. Unfortunately for the Hawaiian legend, he ultimately relinquished his featherweight championship to Alexander Volkanovski in 2019.
After suffering a second but controversial loss to the Australian, 'Blessed' was forced to build his way back into title contention. At UFC on ABC, he faced Calvin Kattar in one of the most spectacular performances in the history of the octagon. The victory reportedly earned Holloway $470,000 (according to www.mmasalaries.com) after taking his show and win purses into account.
His subsequent win over Yair Rodriguez reportedly earned him $491,000 (per www.thesportsdaily.com) due to his $210,000 show money, his $210,000 win bonus, his $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus, and $21,000 in fight week incentive pay. Combined with the $600,000 (according to www.surprisesports.com) he earned in his recent loss to Alexander Volkanovski, the Hawaiian has made well over $1 million thus far.
While Holloway has likey pocketed greater sums of money during his time as a champion due to pay-per-view points, only his 2021-22 earnings are being taken into account for this article.
#8. Petr Yan
Arguably the finest boxer on the UFC roster, Petr Yan is a former bantamweight champion who lost his title in disgraceful fashion against Aljamain Sterling. The Russian striker was forced to rebound from a disqualification loss to Sterling by facing top contender Cory Sandhagen for the interim belt.
Yan won the thrilling matchup with a unanimous decision victory and Fight of the Night honors to set up a long-awaited rematch between him and Sterling. Finally, the two best bantamweights in the world faced each other at UFC 273. What Yan hoped would be a repeat of their first encounter sans the illegal knee he landed turned out to be a split decision win for 'The Funkmaster'.
Two of those three fights happened in 2021, while his final bout with Sterling took place this year. In their first matchup, Yan pocketed $540,000 (according to www.mmasalaries.com and www.sportszion.com). Against Sandhagen, the Russian striker earned $482,000 (per www.itnwwe.com). Lastly, his rematch with Sterling earned him $1.142 million (according to www.sportszion.com).
#7. Jorge Masvidal
The first and only 'BMF' champion, Jorge Masvidal, was once on the cusp of superstardom after his record-setting knockout over Ben Askren and his one-sided beatdown of Nate Diaz. However, after suffering two back-to-back losses to reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, it's arguable that his star power has waned.
The subsequent loss to former friend Colby Covington was yet another stain on Masvidal's record as 'Gamebred' is now 0-3 in his last three fights, all of which he lost in lopsided fashion. While his performances were competitively lacking, the tenured MMA fighter reportedly earned $800,000 (according to www.sportbible.com) for his stunning knockout loss to Kamaru Usman.
His bout with Colby Covington at UFC 272 is said to have won 'Gamebred' $1.5 million (according to www.totalsportal.com) due to pay-per-view share.
#6. Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira is the unofficial lightweight champion in the UFC. He lost his title over a weigh-in mishap that many believe he was not at fault for. Regardless, the Brazilian is an endearing figure to fight fans around the world due to the hardship he's faced on his journey to the top of the MMA mountain.
Similarly, Oliveira is among the most exciting fighters on the roster. As the owner of the most submission wins in UFC history, he is the deadliest finisher across every single division in the promotion. This is a truth that his last three opponents learned of in emphatic fashion.
At UFC 274, Oliveira crossed paths with Justin Gaethje, submitting his foe with a rear-naked choke to reportedly earn $1,602,000 (according to www.sportszion.com) due to a base salary of $480,000, a $480,000 win bonus, $42,000 in sponsorship earnings and massive $600,000 from his performance bonus.
Prior to facing Gaethje, the Brazilian fought Dustin Poirier, reportedly earning $492,000 (potentially $1 million to $1.5 million due to undisclosed PPV points, according to www.sportsmanor.com and www.totalsportal.com), while his previous win over Michael Chandler earned him a sum of $875,000 (per www.givesport.com).
#5. Alexander Volkanovski
Reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is likely the greatest fighter in the world. His last three bouts were all exhibitions of sheer dominance as 'The Great' has undergone drastic improvements as a mixed martial artist, with his speed now being his most prominent physical attribute.
In his exciting win over Brian Ortega at UFC 266, Volkanovski earned $792,000 (according to www.sportsmanor.com) from a combination of his base salary, PPV bonus, Fight of the Night bonus, and sponsorship bonus. Meanwhile, the Australian's crushing victory over Chan Sung Jung at UFC 273 netted him a reported $1.712 million (according to www.mmasalaries.com).
When Volkanovski finally locked horns with Max Holloway in their hotly anticipated trilogy bout at UFC 276, he reportedly made $700,000 (per www.sportszion.com), which is off the back of Volkanovski signing a new contract he claimed rendered him the second highest-paid featherweight in history.
#4. Kamaru Usman
The only fighter currently challenging Alexander Volkanovski for the No.1 spot on the pound-for-pound list of the world's greatest fighters, Kamaru Usman is on the verge of cleaning out the welterweight division. Thus, the 170lbs kingpin has expressed an interest in taking on the staggering challenge of conquering the light heavyweight division.
While fight fans are yet to see Usman fight this year, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' recorded a trio of bouts in 2021 that earned him a jaw-dropping amount of money. At UFC 258, Usman faced longtime friend Gilbert Burns, earning $1.04 million (according to www.sportszion.com) due to a $600,000 base salary, $900,000 from PPV points, $50,000 from his performance bonus, and $40,000 from sponsorship bonuses.
The Nigerian's victory over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261 reportedly earned him $1.542 million (per www.sportszion.com), while his hard-fought victory over Colby Covington in the subsequent bout pocketed him $1.042 million (per www.sportsmanor.com).
#3. Israel Adesanya
'The Last Stylebender' is one of MMA's most active world champions. Undefeated in the middleweight division, he is currently scheduled to face the only fighter to have ever defeated him twice in combat sports: Alex 'Poatan' Pereira. Adesanya's rivalry with the Brazilian dates back to his kickboxing days. His quest for redemption against Pereira will culminate in a future UFC bout.
While Pereira was forging his path from kickboxing to MMA, Adesanya became one of the sport's most reliable stars. From 2021 to the date of this writing, the Nigerian has fought four times, main-eventing every single fight card he was featured on.
In his failed attempt at capturing the title at light heavyweight from then champion Jan Błachowicz, Adesanya reportedly pocketed $1.74 million (per www.mmasalaries.com), accounting for PPV bonuses. The Nigerian faced Marvin Vettori when he next fought, earning $1.142 million (according to www.sportszion.com).
His subsequent bouts were against Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier, against whom 'The Last Stylebender' reportedly made $1.542 million and $1.8 million, respectively (per www.sportszion.com).
#2. Dustin Poirier
Two-time lightweight title challenger Dustin Poirier has quickly become one of the most recognizable names on the promotion's roster. 'The Diamond' can credit his ascension to mainstream media relevance to his two stunning victories over heated rival Conor McGregor.
At UFC 257, Poirier was set to face the Irishman, a foe who had bested him prior in effortless fashion. By shocking the world and handing McGregor the first knockout loss of his MMA career, Poirier reportedly earned $1.021 million (according to www.cnet.com).
In their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 264, 'The Diamond' pocketed an incredible $3.6 million from PPV bonuses and $1.5 million from his base salary (according to www.thesun.ie). When he sought to capture championship gold from Charles Oliveira, Poirier, in a losing effort, earned $1 million (according to www.thesportsgrail.com).
#1. Conor McGregor
No fighter—past or present—has earned more money than Conor McGregor in MMA. The Irishman is a prolific trash-talker whose ability to drum up interest in his bouts remains completely unrivaled. The legions of fans that 'The Notorious' commands are as loyal as any, enabling him to render any event he headlines more lucrative than anything the UFC can mount without him.
In his long-awaited return after his dominant win over Donald Cerrone, McGregor faced former foe Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi. What many fans expected to be a comfortable victory for the Irishman became a stunning loss. Despite tasting defeat, McGregor reportedly made $5 million ($30 million, including estimated PPV points) from his base salary at UFC 257, according to Forbes.
When he rematched Poirier for a second time at UFC 264, the excitement was palpable as many fans were eager to see how the trilogy between the two would close out. Unfortunately for the Irishman, he suffered a catastrophic leg break during the bout yet still earned $23 million (per www.sportbible.com).
