Which UFC fighter made the most money in the organization?

published

12/11/2023 5:00 PM

Which UFC fighter made the most money in the organization?

In a recent development, Bloody Elbow gained access to confidential financial details of some of the UFC’s most prominent fighters and champions, including Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and others. The revelation comes as a result of ongoing legal proceedings in a class action lawsuit against the UFC, following the denial of the promotion’s appeal by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. This decision paves the way for a potential trial in 2024.

Judge Boulware, who presides over the case, has expressed a desire for the proceedings to move swiftly and for all records related to the UFC antitrust lawsuit to be unsealed with minimal redactions, primarily for health and contact information.

One of the key documents that have been unveiled is Roger D. Blair’s re-filed expert report, which includes a comprehensive breakdown of the payouts made by the UFC to fighters between 2011 and 2016. This “Internal Zuffa Bout Compensation” not only encompasses show and win bonuses, performance bonuses reported to athletic commissions, and public disclosure but also includes previously undisclosed payments such as pay-per-view bonuses, side agreements, and discretionary bonuses associated with a fighter’s bout.

While the individual fighter names aren’t directly linked to each payout, the report does provide the number of UFC fights each fighter had at that time, aiding in identifying many of the top earners within the UFC.

For instance, it’s possible to deduce that a fighter who made $27,000 for their seventh UFC fight in 2016 was not among the top earners. Conversely, the fighter who debuted in the UFC in 2016 and received a staggering $1,042,736 for their match is none other than CM Punk. Similarly, identifying fighters who reached their 27th UFC fight in 2016 narrows down the list to Jeremy Stephens and Frank Mir.

With the assistance of business expert John Nash, Bloody Elbow has managed to discern and match the payouts of several of the UFC’s most notable stars from Roger D. Blair’s expert report.

Which UFC fighter made the most money in the organization?

The revealed payouts shed light on the earnings of these top UFC stars:

Ronda Rousey:

$574,720 vs. Liz Carmouche
$1,817,907 vs. Miesha Tate
$870,969 vs. Sara McMann
$1,063,688 vs. Alexis Davis
$1,458,282 vs. Cat Zingano
$2,642,204 vs. Bethe Correia
$4,476,662 or $4,536,932 vs. Holly Holm
$4,879,766 vs. Amanda Nunes Notes: Lawsuit documents corroborate Rousey’s earnings of $13 million from seven UFC bouts.

Conor McGregor:

$3,285,000 (includes $2.11M discretionary bonus) vs. Chad Mendes
$4,476,662 or $4,536,932 vs. Jose Aldo
$5,576,315 vs. Nate Diaz 1
$5,615,490 vs. Nate Diaz 2
$6,812,374 vs. Eddie Alvarez Notes: According to lawsuit documents, McGregor was compensated nearly $20 million for participation in nine UFC bouts during the class period.

Brock Lesnar:

$3,000,000 vs. Alistair Overeem
$8,000,000 vs. Mark Hunt Notes: Lesnar’s $8 million purse for UFC 200 was the highest at the time.

Georges St-Pierre:

$4,314,289 vs. Jake Shields
$3,197,908 vs. Carlos Condit
$4,116,690 vs. Nick Diaz
$3,555,344 vs. Johny Hendricks

Anderson Silva:

$2,506,034 vs. Vitor Belfort
$2,000,000 vs. Yushin Okami
$2,506,034 vs. Chael Sonnen 2
$2,000,000 vs. Stephan Bonnar
$3,222,253 vs. Chris Weidman
$4,374,326 vs. Chris Weidman 2
$3,429,082 vs. Nick Diaz
$3,250,000 vs. Michael Bisping
$4,208,675 vs. Daniel Cormier

Jon Jones:

$2,278,553 vs. Rashad Evans
$1,566,196 vs. Vitor Belfort
$2,750,000 vs. Chael Sonnen
$1,173,560 vs. Alexander Gustafsson
$1,237,880 vs. Glover Teixeira
$3,637,500 vs. Daniel Cormier 1
$2,677,530 vs. Ovince St. Preux Notes: Jon Jones recently signed a new contract, making him one of the highest-paid UFC heavyweights ever.

CM Punk:

$1,042,736 vs. Mickey Gall

BJ Penn:

$400,000 vs. Jon Fitch
$475,000 vs. Nick Diaz
$250,000 vs. Rory MacDonald

Demetrious Johnson:

$245,000 vs. Henry Cejudo
$350,000 vs. Tim Elliott

These revelations provide a unique insight into the financial side of the UFC and its top-earning fighters, and it’s worth noting that some of the previously reported payout figures, especially those published by Forbes, appear to have been inflated. The disclosed payouts serve as a testament to the earnings and negotiations that have taken place within the world of mixed martial arts.

For more details and additional payouts, including those of Tyron Woodley, Michael Bisping, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s full UFC contracts, and Lyoto Machida’s multi-million Bellator deal, you can refer to the full post on Bloody Elbow’s Substack page.

The world of MMA continues to be a hot topic, and this newfound transparency offers fans and enthusiasts a glimpse into the financial side of their favorite fighters and the sport as a whole.

More UFC news

Follow our dedicated UFC page for instant UFC news and updates