Top 10 Richest UFC Fighters of All Time

Ever since its inception in 1993, the UFC has been an even playing field for martial artists from all walks of life to come and test their resolve. Be it an upright striker with their swift jabs and thunderous low kicks or the cold and calculating grappler ready to make their opponent pay for each and every mistake, the sport has seen it all.

Although it came from humble beginnings, the platform has become mainstream and loved by people worldwide now. With fame coming to the platform, fortune has followed suit, and today the UFC is worth nearly $10 billion. Millions come together to buy pay-per-view, and the athletes, in turn, have also accumulated immense wealth in the process. Let’s take a look at the top 10 richest fighters in the history of the UFC. 

10. Alistair Overeem - $10 million

[Source: beyondkick.com]

A lifelong athlete, Alistair Overeem started off as a judo practitioner and basketball player. At the age of 15, he turned his focus to kickboxing as he trained in Muay Thai. The Dutchman had immense potential due to his striking abilities and powerful kicks. At age 19 he won his first fight, and in 1999 he transitioned to MMA. 

He participated in various tournaments, from K-1 to Strikeforce and won world titles with ease before coming to the UFC in 2011. He retired in 2021 with a professional record of 47 wins and 19 losses, making him one of the best the sport had to offer. 

Today, his net worth stands at an impressive $10 million, which makes him the 10th richest fighter in UFC history. 

9. Chuck Liddell - $15 million

[Source: youtube.com]

One of the most terrifying light-heavyweight fighters was Chuck Liddell. Liddell had shockingly quick and aggressive striking along with precise and powerful kicks, which made him one of the best in his class. He began his career early as well, starting off in 1998 and ending it in 2010 as a Hall of Famer in the UFC. 

Liddell’s striking power was his bread and butter as he won thirteen out of his twenty-two fights in the UFC by knockout. His overall record is respectable as well, with 21 wins and 8 losses throughout his career. After hanging up his gloves in 2010, Liddell moved to acting in several movies and coaching professional fighters. 

He was inducted into the UFC’s Hall of Fame Pioneer Wing back in 2009. Currently, his net worth is estimated to be $15 million, putting him firmly in ninth place. 

8. Fedor Emelianenko - $18 million

[Source: latimes.com]

Fedor Emelianenko has a long history with combat sports. He had trained in boxing, judo, sambo, and kickboxing before even thinking of mixed martial arts. His exceptional wrestling and ability to predict moves would help him, as would his exceptionally precise and powerful punches.

The Last Emperor started off with many Eastern organizations, including PRIDE, Bellator, and Strikeforce. Coming to his career in the UFC, Emelianenko was known for his endurance as a heavyweight and relentless fighting style. His professional career speaks for itself, with 40 wins and 7 losses. 

Emelianenko is estimated to have a net worth of $18 million, firmly putting him in eighth place on our list. 

7. Wanderlei Silva - $20 million

[Source: sbnation.com]

Silva was and is still considered one of the scariest fighters in UFC history. Legendary moments like his fight against Kazushi Sakuraba, Rampage Jackson, Mirko Cro Cop, and Chuck Liddell are imprinted into any MMA enthusiast’s mind. Wanderlei Silva is tough, his street-fighting aggression, assisted by Kick Boxing, Muay Thai, and Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu, are just add-ons, after all. 

Starting off as the former PRIDE middleweight champion, Silva had immense pressure when he signed up for the octagon in 2007. Silva’s record stands at 35 wins to 13 losses, and even after his retirement, he still holds the title of the most number of wins in PRIDE. 

After formally retiring from professional fighting in 2018, Silva has mostly remained a commentator and coach. The Axe Murderer is estimated to have a net worth of $20 million, which gets him the seventh spot on the list. 

6. Tito Ortiz - $20 million

[Source: ufc.com]

An MMA fighter and a politician, Tito Ortiz has had an interesting career, to say the least. The former Light-Heavyweight champ is a gifted boxer and wrestler and isn’t afraid of letting punches fly. Ortiz started wrestling at an early age and would continue to wrestle in college and even be the California Junior College State Champion for two years. 

Ortiz joined the UFC early, all the way back in UFC 13 in 1997. Despite his grappling abilities and background, Ortiz won big fights against names like Ken Shamrock and Chuck Lidell through knockouts. His professional record stands at 19 wins and 12 losses, where he would defend his Light-Heavyweight title five times. 

Ortiz left fighting professionally back in 2017 after two decades of being an absolute beast. Today, his net worth stands at $20 million, making him our sixth richest fighter in UFC history. 

5. BJ Penn - $22 million

[Source: businessinsider.com]

Coming to one of the most astounding grapplers in UFC’s history, BJ Penn, was a prodigy. Born in Hawaii, he started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at an early age and would go on to diversify and train in mixed martial arts soon. Before transitioning into MMA, Penn also claimed the title of the first non-Brazillian to win the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship. 

He would make his professional debut in UFC 31 in 2001. For the next decade, Penn would go on to amass quite the record fighting in multiple weight classes. His fights against Lyoto Machida, Joe Stevenson, and Georges St. Pierre are legendary for a reason, after all. His professional career saw him get 16 wins and 14 losses. 

The former Lightweight and Welterweight Champion may have had a rocky past with Dana White and the UFC, but his net worth is estimated to be $22 million, making him number five. 

4. Brock Lesnar - $25 million

[Source: essentiallysports.com]

Known for his showmanship, Brock Lesnar may seem like an odd inclusion to the UFC because of his career in pro wrestling. However, Lesnar took that as a challenge and rigorously train in mixed martial arts to prove critics wrong. His career as an amateur wrestler would also help him manage distance and avoid takedowns which aided his powerful strikes. 

His career with WWE would start back in 2002, and in 2008 he moved to the UFC and would go on to win the Heavyweight title in 2008 and defend it multiple times. In his brief stint with the UFC, he would gain a record of 5 wins and 3 losses. Lesnar went back to the WWE in 2012 and would have an active career until his retirement in 2020. 

With almost two decades worth of combat performances, it's not surprising that Lesnar is one of the richest in the sport. He is said to possess $25 million as his net worth. 

3. Georges St-Pierre - $30 million

[Source: saltwire.com]

Considered a legend of the sport and the greatest Welterweight of all time, Georges St-Pierre can kill with his moves and his kindness. His background has evolved over the years, but he is known to employ Kyokushin Karate, Muay Thai, Wrestling, and BJJ when fighting. 

GSP’s career began in 2002, and the rest is history. The former fighter turned actor is the longest reigning UFC welterweight champion with 26 wins and only 2 losses. He was also the perfect brand ambassador for the sport and was adored by many throughout his career. 

His net worth is estimated to be around $30 million. His fighting days may be over, but he is still performing on the big screen, where he has found even more success. 

2. Khabib Nurmagomedov - $40 million

[Source: mmajunkie.usatoday.com]

The Eagle himself occupies our number two spot. Perhaps the most respected fighter in the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov is everything from a Freestyle Wrestler and Judo champ to a Kickboxing wonder. His unique blend of Sambo and Wrestling would make him the greatest fighter in the lightweight division. 

Khabib started fighting at just eight years old and made his way into the octagon back in 2008. He would come to the UFC in 2012, and throughout his time there, he never lost once. His professional record stands at 29 wins, out of which 8 were through knockouts and 11 by submission. 

Through all this, Nurmagomedov has gotten a big following owing to his determined and humble nature. His net worth is estimated to be $40 million, making him the second highest-paid UFC fighter ever! 

1. Conor McGregor - $200 million

[Source: edition.cnn.com]

You knew this was coming. The number one spot is reserved for the double-champ Conor McGregor. Be it his big left hand, his ability to talk smack, or his love for controversy, McGregor has become a household name. He is credited with making UFC big, as he came to the sport at just the right time. His style revolves around Kickboxing and Karate, but he has also employed BJJ and Capoeira when fighting. 

The Irishman started his MMA career in 2008 and debuted in the UFC back in 2013. His insanely quick knockouts and ability to predict rounds even before the fight started made him a celebrity really quickly. His record backs up his trash talk with 22 wins and 6 losses throughout his career so far. 

McGregor participated in all the weight classes he could get his hands in, be it lightweight, featherweight, or welterweight. Laying into his iconic Irish quotes and memorable interviews, he also has his own whiskey brand, Proper Twelve. His net worth stands at an insane $200 million as of 2023 and is only growing. 

That does it! The top 10 richest UFC fighters of all time. Long-time fans can fondly remember the time when MMA or Martial Arts weren’t mainstream. Nobody could have hoped that the UFC would rise as high as it did, but the Gracies made it happen. 

Today the UFC itself is reported to be worth $10 billion and credited with putting BJJ in the spotlight. Dana White has a stressful job, when he isn’t pulling fighters away from each other, he is busy defending mixed martial arts. However, we suspect he’s loving all of this in the back of his mind just as much as we love the sport.