Since the last few years, MMA has risen in terms of popularity and pay scale courtesy of fighters like Conor McGregor with the fighters making massive money
Reports claim that last year 36% of UFC fighters made less than $45,000 median US average household income. While the same number of fighters earned a six-figure paycheck each for their performances in 2020. Fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor earn millions per fight.
On the other hand, there are some fighters who only get around $10,000 per fight. This represents a drastic difference in the controversial pay scale of UFC.
How Much Money Do MMA Fighters Make?
The amount of money a UFC fighter makes depends on the number of fights they’ve had previously, their popularity as a fighter, how often they fight every year, MMA records, etc. Apart from fights, there are also endorsements and sponsorship opportunities with martial arts gear companies and supplement brands.
But these are are reserved only for the best. Modelo and BodyArmor endorse a few special UFC athletes who are either already World Champions, or up and coming MMA fighters with massive potential. Additionally, many fighters also earn some extra bucks by teaching either at an MMA Gym or through online videos.
Talking about the pay structure of UFC, fighters get paid a base salary no matter if they win or lose a match. Fighters in high demand, like CM Punk, can negotiate for better prices. As for other bonuses, there’s a win bonus obviously which is given to the winner. Else, there are ‘fight of the night’ and ‘performance of the night’ bonuses. They are extra $50,000 paid to extraordinary fighters.
Highest And Lowest Paid MMA Fighters
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov earned $6,090,000 as the highest-paid athlete of 2020, from his fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. Conor McGregor was at the second spot with $3,060,0003 and Junior Dos Santos was at the third spot with $1,560,000. In comparison, the lowest paid MMA fighters Petr Yan and Cole Williams only made $230,000 and $9,500, respectively.
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