Top 5 MMA fighters who earn the highest fees

In fact, any sport brings athletes not only positive emotions, fame and strength, but also money. It is well known that in any sport salaries or so-called scholarships are paid. You can get it not only for good results, but also for having a certain qualification. For example, Candidate Master of Sport. In MMA, money is paid to holders of various belts and titles.

The fights themselves are very traumatic and energy-consuming. For this reason, athletes deserve a decent salary. After all, sometimes fights for some athletes end in a hospital. In addition, the expected salary depends on the professional level of the fighter, the total available budget of the sports club, statistical indicators and much more. Many people really want to know how much the most titled fighters earn. Especially since status can be earned with just a couple of victories over serious opponents, which is why bettors love MMA. Next, we will look at the top 5 athletes who manage to receive fairly large sums of money.

Note that in the entire history of MMA fights, the famous Khabib Nurmagomedov was considered the highest paid. The second line was obviously occupied by Conor McGregor. His main opponent Dan White stopped receiving impressive sums of money. And all because Conor was an excellent source of earning both fame and, of course, money.

Undoubtedly, Russia also has many outstanding MMA fighters who earn good money. However, to this day, none of them has yet been able to beat the results of the Eagle. So, further we will consider only those who have been performing since 2020 and at the same time make decent money.

Our top 5 ranking is opened by a follower of the famous Khabib Nurmagomedov – Islam Makhachev. He will receive $563,000 to date. By the way, fans who are betting on MMA have noticed that Khabib did not perform in 2020. And that is indeed the case. But, the following year, 2021, the athlete was already performing well among opponents in the lightweight category. Due to the fact that there were no performances in 2020, accordingly, there were no high cash payments. However, for the triumph over Drew Dober, Dan Hooker Makhachev and Thiago Moises, the fighter received about $ 100 thousand. In MMA, this is very little money, although it seems that this is enough.

After Khabib Nurmagomedov established himself in the ranking of the top 5 strongest fighters, he began to receive twice his previous earnings. For example, after defeating Bobby Green, the Russian fighter received $211,000. It is clear that a lot depends on the status. Therefore, if it is increased, wages will also increase. In the next upcoming fight, Khabib will surely be able to earn much more.

Modesty deprives additional income?

On the fourth position of our top 5 rating is Magomed Ankalaev. He earns on average around $741,000. By the way, this fighter also fights at light-heavyweight and is also in the top-5 of the strongest competitors in this weight class. Magomed Ankalaev does not get involved in loud squabbles and scandals, but simply performs calmly. He does not need big words and sensationalism; all he needs is to perform consistently well. He used to get about $100,000 for winning one fight, the same as Khabib. However, things are different now. In his last fight against Tiago Santos, the fighter won $325,000. Such money had never been won by Magomed before. Experts believe that if at least some of the media were talking about him, he would be getting that kind of money much more often. In addition, Ankalaev is a contender for the UFC championship belt fight. This award is considered one of the most prestigious in MMA. Therefore, he has a good chance of significantly improving his financial situation.
The bronze medal is deservedly received by Aleksey Oleynik. His earnings are approximately $871,000. And all because the fighter regularly performs and wins. Much depends on the regularity of performances. It should be noted that the last six appearances have been the most productive for Alexey. He managed to earn almost $1 million. This fighter always goes out to fight not for honour, but for money. His financial status is directly related to the results of his fights as well as additional bonuses. Winning amounts may depend on the rating of the opponent. For example, a victory over Derrick Lewis brought Oleynik a little less than $100,000. But in the battle with Jared Vanderaa, the Russian fighter was able to get $205,000.

Made a million for three wins

In the second position is Alexander Volkov. By the way, this is our first fighter who earns over $1 million. His current earnings are $1.08 million. Since 2020 Volkov has taken part in six fights and scored three victories over his serious opponents. Interestingly enough, in London, Alexander was promised a large sum of money of $295,000 for defeating Tom Aspinall. But, the Russian fighter could not defeat him at that time. However, in his fight with Alistair Overeem, he earned $225,000. By the way, this win is the biggest one Alexander has ever managed to get. It is clear that, like many, his earnings depend on the results he shows. For example, the fighter Drago lost, but still earned $85k, as well as $106k in his fight with Cyril Gane.
Finally, the absolute leader of our top 5 ranking of the fighters with the highest earnings is Petr Jan. He is considered to be the absolute record holder. As he manages to earn over $1.1 million on average. This is the amount Petr was able to earn in just four fights. The fees are very different. For example, Petr Jan defeated Jose Aldo in a fight and received $230,000 for it. In the first meeting the Russian fighter received $150,000, and in the final fight he received $442,000. This fact surprised many fans and experts. At the same time his opponent was paid only $10,000 in bitcoins for the loss. This decision was influenced by the spectators, who were present at the match.
That’s our top 5. It’s worth noting that in MMA the results change quickly, so we didn’t take into account fighters who don’t perform regularly.