Many boxers earn far less. Companies such as Modelo and BodyArmor have a few special athletes from the UFC that they endorse. The highest earning non-UFC champion in 2018 was Conor McGregor, who pulled in an astonishing $3,030,000 (this was only base salary for the fight, PPV split and Sponsorships were believed to have been an upwards of $50 million). This average is heavily swayed by top earners (outliers) such as Conor McGregor. Win bonuses can make up a huge portion of a fighter’s yearly income. With the explosion of popularity in MMA thanks to fighters like Conor McGregor over the past few years, the pay has substantially risen. In the Pettis fight, he didn’t have any win bonuses in his contract whatsoever. Alistair Overeem2018 Salary Earnings: 1,720,000Alistar Overeem is a dutch mixed martial artist and former kick boxer who continues to make tons of money competing in the UFC. Many spectators argued it may have been the greatest women's MMA fight of all time. What this means is that how much a UFC fighter makes in a year, or per fight, depends a lot on how many fights they’ve had, how popular they are, and how many fights they win. To break it down for you we’re going to talk about the average “fighting salary” that fighters made in the cage, from the best to the worst. Average UFC earnings: Over 700k each fight, Last fight salary: $765,000 ($750,000 to show, $15,000 fight week incentive pay), Average Endorsement earnings: $1 million per year (estimated). He’s earned $7 million to date, with plenty of fights still left in the tank. He’s held numerous titles and earned $2,580,000 in his comeback fight against Bisping. Pay and sponsorships combined. According to payout information on MMA Manifesto Most fighters get a large portion of their money from a salary paid by the UFC. These purses dwarfed everything else on the card, with Sergio Pettis picking up the next biggest check at … His most recent fight, a loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov, was his highest earning in the UFC to date. He’s starting to command higher salaries, with his latest fight against Lewis netting him $810,000, bringing his total earnings to $6.3 million to date. Hi, I’m The MMA Guru. Anderson Silva may be near the end of his career, but he should be very proud of his $8.1 million earnings. Sadly, after the chaos that ensued at UFC 229, half of Khabib’s $2 million purse has been withheld from him. How much do MMA jobs pay a year? Ipsos Mma average salary is $93,763, median salary is $88,296 with a salary range from $65,000 to $155,000. For example, if there is an amazing fight that gets the crowd going absolutely crazy, fighters may be awarded with an additional $50,000 for “fight of the night”. MMA Class of 2019. achieved a So you’re telling me MMA fighters make money from fighting? This can also be contributed to the rise in interim belts. Average Salary: $34,000 Expected Lifetime Earnings: $1,419,432 The top UFC fighters can make a ridiculous amount of money for a single fight—especially if it's such a big deal that it's televised on a pay-per-view with a number in the title. UFC and grappling legend Dean Lister has made some videos for Jiu Jitsu training websites like BJJ Fanatics. That’s not even counting sponsorships or endorsements, which can make fighters huge amounts of money. Finally, some of the most popular mixed martial arts fighters also get offered pay-per-view (PPV) points per headlining appearance. The Average Salary . The average annual pay for a MMA Job in Massachusetts is $55,021 a year. https://thesportsdaily.com/2019/12/30/2019-ufc-fighter-salaries-complete-list-fox11/, https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/9/29/13040024/ufc-fighter-pay-union-association, https://www.sportscasting.com/a-breakdown-of-how-ufc-fighters-get-paid/, https://www.reddit.com/r/MMA/comments/9wnt9u/israel_adesanya_and_dan_hooker_discuss_ufc/. This controversial decision resulted in many UFC fighters receiving tiny sponsorships per fight, ranging from $3,500 to $40,000. Subconsciously I’ve even purchased Modelo because of the advertisement featuring Stipe Miocic, endorsements are a great tool companies use to market their product through a popular individual. I think everyone can agree that MMA fighters should be treated better in general, however, we also must understand the massive potential for making money in the UFC. Also, fighters in greater demand can negotiate for better prices (such as CM Punk). The lowest paid fighter on any UFC card will take home at least $10,000 (before bonuses & endorsements etc…). Athletes with four or five Octagon fights will earn $5,000. You have to remember, most MMA fighters are not making Conor McGregor money, they’re making nothing. Which means they don’t have the same advantages in negotiations as these other sports stars do. Conor McGregor2018 Salary Earnings: $3,030,000The highest paid fighter is the notorious one. Included in this amount are all salaries and wages but also other unearned income on investments or capital gain. The answer to the question of ‘how much do UFC fighters get paid’ is actually more complicated than it would initially appear. Win BonusWe talked about the win bonus earlier. The recent Wilder vs Fury card for example. The 18 men and women that held UFC championship belts in 2019 earned just under a million dollars ($974,028 to be exact) in salaries, before counting any other bonuses or endorsements and sponsorships. UFC fighters payouts from win bonuses range between double the base salary to nothing, depending on the fighter. Using our previous example of Nate Diaz, he received a double win bonus for his fight with Johnson and ended up taking home $40,000. He reportedly earned just over $6 million throughout the year, according to the MMA Manifesto. I was introduced to Muay Thai at a young age, but ultimately fell in love with BJJ and grappling in my teenage years, and have never looked back. Facebook. His earnings started to take off in 2019, where his last two fights earned him just over $6 million, bringing his total to $8.3 million at the beginning of 2020. Conor McGregor continues to impress in and outside of the octagon. Nowadays you see the high end supplement brand Thorne advertising all over the octagon. For example, Stipe Miocic has a popular Modelo commercial that has been running non-stop recently, and other popular fighters such as Cody Garbrandt are sponsored by BodyArmor. Her career earnings (not including bonuses or PPV points) over 4 years with the UFC came at about the same annual rate – $4,000,000. Khabib Nurmagomedov has been a UFC staple since 2012, where he made his debut against Kamal Shalorus. However, it sure feels to me that she’s a lot happier working for the WWE than she ever was as a UFC fighter. Salary; Jobs; MMA Salary in Massachusetts Yearly. We can’t forget to mention the “fight of the night” and “performance of the night” bonuses which are usually an extra $50,000 for fighters who do something extraordinary on fight night. We talked about endorsements earlier, however, these type of lucrative deals are only for the “best of the best” when it comes to mixed martial arts. So next time you’re sitting at the bar and you think to yourself “how much money do MMA fighters make?” remember that the answer isn’t as simple as it sounds. We’ll attempt to answer that question below. Get Mma Design salaries by experience, location and roles. If you’re a fighter with the UFC, however, you have to make do with a forced Reebok sponsorship instead. How much money do MMA fighters make? These points translate into a portion of the pay-per-view earnings of a fight going to the relevant fighter. SponsorshipThe reason I included this is because UFC and Reebok have a new deal (we talked about this above). Endorsements are a great way for companies to bring their brand to the attention of UFC fans. for $3,000,000 I will fight Conor anytime anywhere…, Your email address will not be published. I guess sometimes it doesn’t pay to get punched and kicked in the face. It is worth noting that these are only the reported salaries plus Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night bonuses that have been made public, along with Reebok payouts which came into effect with UFC 189. Mark Hunt got on the UFC radar after his exciting fight with Brock Lesnar at UFC 200. Average Boxer Salary: How Much Do Boxers Make? Learn about salaries, benefits, salary satisfaction and where you could earn the most. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Wages were 5.7% higher than a year earlier. UFC fighters also don’t have a union or fighters’ association to leverage any collective bargaining power. Travel fees, training costs, and staff payments can quickly eat into any post-fight earnings. Many fighters also saw huge monetary losses in 2018 from their acts outside of the octagon (McGregor throwing a dolly through a bus, Khabib starting riot after UFC 229). With a nearly 14-year jump start on the UFC, it begs to ask the obvious; would such a gap and disparity between boxing and MMA exist today if the sport wasn’t outlawed? So the average BJJ black belt opens a gym and he’s already making a salary. This ESPN deal (beginning in January 2019) was absolutely groundbreaking for the UFC and all of MMA. Endorsements: Burger King, Beats Electronics, Monster Energy. Many fighters have disagreed with this sponsorship because it means they can’t have ANY other sponsors on fight night. The average salary for Healthcare Revenue Cycle Management Director at companies like MMA Capital Holdings, Inc. in the United States is $129,000 as of January 29, 2021, but the range typically falls between $107,200 and $153,400. Whether you advocate for it or not, it must be nice to get paid double for a win. Unsurprisingly, McGregor features prominently in some of the highest-paid fights in UFC history, including: While it would be nice to have a solid answer to the question, ‘how much do UFC fighters make?’, the answer is a lot more complicated than you’d think. My goal with MMA today is to inspire people to train and enjoy mixed martial arts more every day. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median wage for workers in the United States in the first quarter of 2020 was $957 per week or $49,764 per year (assuming 52 weeks of work per year). He lost within 40 seconds but earned $2,200,000 for the privilege. Average fighter going 1-1 will make $18k-$20k. MMA. Now, Reebok is the exclusive apparel provider of the UFC (you can check out their UFC collection here). Get better results by entering a location. Many people are strongly against the idea of a win bonus. The planet’s premier mixed martial arts promotion has loosened up its purse strings and increased the minimum their newest athletes can earn for a victory to $20,000. Average UFC earnings: Over 500k per fight, Last fight salary: $640,000 ($600,000 to show, $40,000 fight week incentive pay), Endorsements: Carl Jr’s (after being snubbed by Popeyes Chicken). However, many of these endorsement opportunities are reserved for only the best of the best. For newer fighters, they don’t have the big agents that rookie players in the NFL and NBA have. Sponsorship usually just throw you gear. With a current undefeated record of 27-0, many people believe that he’s currently the #1 pound for pound MMA fighter in the world. The average household income in the U.S. is around $45,000 per year, yet over a third of the UFC’s fighters (213 fighters – 37%) made less than the average American household in 2018. The Best Cups for MMA, Muay Thai, and Boxing, 18 Tragic Deaths in the Ring: Boxing, MMA, and More, How Tall Are MMA Fighters? Endorsements benefit both the fighters and the company, but typically only apply to the most popular UFC fighters. What The Salary Tells You. He has shown his value to the UFC with his ability to headline major events held in Australia. She is a fan of the WWE’s pay structure, where wrestlers are immediately put on salary. Like many other athletes, UFC fighters make much of their money outside of their official UFC salary. UFC fighters get paid a base salary on fight night no matter if they win or lose, however there is typically a “win bonus” involved for the winning fighter. If promoters made that much boxing money, it’s safe to assume boxers are also rolling in dough. Mark Hunt2018 Salary Earnings: $2,295,000Mark Hunt is one of the most popular fighters down under. He massively outpaced everyone else in the pack, with second place Alistair Overeem only earning $1.7 million in the same year. Michael Bisping fought 29 UFC fights, earning him a total of $7.1 million. Twitter. Outside of the UFC, Cormier volunteers teaching high school wrestling in California. The popularity of MMA will continue to rise, I believe the ESPN deal with the UFC is just the beginning. 90% employment rate within 6 months of graduation (72% employment within 3 months) • Our . His controversial post-fight brawl with McGregor’s team at UFC 229 led to a fine of $500,000, which barely put a dent in his earnings for the fight. This contract prevents fighters from signing up with any other companies; they can only have Reebok as their sponsor. UFC usually awards a few “fight of the night” or “performance of the night” bonuses for fighters who go above and beyond. The average salary in 2012 is listed at about $30,000 in both Phoenix and Orlando, Florida. Other Ventures: Proper Twelve is a huge venture Conor McGregor took on for his fight with Khabib, this is a massive investment that has been very successful. Each salary is associated with a real job position. Justino earned $250,000 for her efforts, with no win bonus. Travel fees, training costs, and staff payments can quickly eat into any post-fight earnings. According to reported salaries, around 36% of fighters, 214 in real numbers, earned six-figure salaries in 2019, up from 33% in 2018. His biggest pay-out came against Stipe Miocic at UFC 211, where he earned $830,000. This looks extremely bad when compared to the NFL rookie salary minimum of $450,000. Khabib Nurmagomedov2018 Salary Earnings: $2,570,000Many believe Khabib is the best fighter to ever grace the octagon. you can check out their UFC collection here. Supplement companies have also been known to offer MMA fighters big sponsorship deals, for example TJ Dillashaw had a long-time deal with MusclePharm. Before the Reebok deal came into place, MMA fighters made a ton of money off of their sponsorships. Unfortunately, since these figures don’t get disclosed, there’s no way to know how much fighters can earn from these unofficial performance bonuses. Average UFC earnings: $1 Million or more per fight, Last fight salary: $2,000,000 (Half has been withheld after starting riot after UFC 229), Average Endorsement earnings: $3-5 million per year (estimated). Generally they make the most money from private lessons where they can charge anywhere from 20 to 50 dollars an hour. Prior to UFC 227, former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt unleashed on UFC fighter pay, saying: They get their ass beat and make what, $10,000? Besides win bonuses, the UFC also has official and undisclosed bonuses. Low Salary Range Factors. The MMA game is a much better place than it previously was thanks to superstars like Conor McGregor. Also, if a fighter has an amazing performance or a spectacular knockout or submission, they may be awarded with “performance of the night”. Visit PayScale to research MMA Architects salaries, bonuses, reviews, benefits, and more! Previously, both of those categories were encompassed under one sponsorship tier, which paid out $2,500 in Reebok earnings per fight. The 18 men and women that had UFC championship belts in 2019 earned just under a million dollars ($974,028 to be exact) in salaries, before counting any other bonuses, endorsements and sponsorships. 15 men and women wore UFC championship belts (including interim) in 2018, and they earned an average of $783,400 (up from $666,643 in 2017) . A free inside look at MMA Fighter Management salary trends based on 5 salaries wages for 5 jobs at MMA Fighter Management. According to 2019 data from U.S. News & World Report and MBA industry publication Poets & Quants, the total average MBA salary … UFC Increases Minimum Salary For New Fighters. The average in Dallas in 2012 is higher, at just over $40,000. The fight that contributed almost a third of his total earnings was at UFC 246, against McGregor. Unfortunately, only the best of the best can rely on endorsements to make extra money. For such a short and simple question, you might be surprised to learn that the answer is a bit more complicated. This is actually an implication from the rise of some of the top stars in the sport. The average MMA fighter in the UFC made $138,250 in 2018, an average that is continuing to rise. This is a nice way for fighters to earn a little extra money while continuing to do what they love. Total earnings in 2019 according to salary and bonus reports: The picture changes a bit when you look at total earnings throughout a career. His controversial post-fight brawl with McGregor’s team at UFC 229 led to a fine of $500,000, which barely put a dent in his earnings for the fight. Although there is still a significant wage gap from the highest to the lowest paid in organizations like the UFC. As of 2020, McGregor is still the only UFC fighter to break eight-digit earnings in the UFC. He has had an illustrious MMA career which includes over 60 fights total. MMA-Today.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. 187 fighters (33% of the UFC) earned six-figures in 2018. Bisping went on to secure the Middleweight Title and made his biggest payday at UFC 217 against Georges St-Pierre. Many fighters tough it out, hoping to make it big, but with gym fees, travel, and training costs, their expenses can quickly outweigh their winnings. In 1980 the average NFL salary was $78,657 and the Tough Guy Champion was slated to take home 100K. According to a poll looking at fighter salaries from 2012 – 2015, around a third of all fighters’ incomes came from non-disclosed discretionary pay, side agreements, or pay-per-view points (2). Jiu-Jitsu has become so successful around the world that there is less of an … The UFC decides the amounts based on the number of fights the athlete had in the UFC. While we can make educated estimates based on reports by the UFC and athletes themselves, these may not always be 100% accurate. On dividing all annual incomes and profits by the amount of the countrie's population, it will show the average income per capita. He is a great ambassador of the sport inside and outside of the octagon. Salaries in Los Angeles and Houston are between $35,000 and $40,000 in 2012. The other defending champion on the card, Zhang Weili (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) netted $200,000 for beating Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-4 … Jones tends to get between $580,000 and $590,000 every fight, and at 32 years old, his earning potential is huge. As Nurmagomedov continues to be popular with the crowds and the hint of a McGregor rematch on the cards, 2020 looks like a promising year for this rising star. Daniel Cormier2018 Salary Earnings: $1,820,000Daniel Cormier (also known as the double champ) is a fan favorite of many UFC fans worldwide. The average new UFC fighter will fight twice per year, and make $12k-$20k in disclosed salary total. According to the MMA Manifesto, the average UFC fighter made $146,673 in 2019, with 37% making six-figure incomes from salary and bonus pay-outs alone (5). This is the reason why a ton of MMA fighters were upset when the Reebok deal came into place. These athletes are either already World Champions, or they’re up and coming MMA fighters that are seen to have massive potential in the sport. According to the data, the average wage was highest in the region of Lombardy, while it was lowest in Sardinia. 0. In 2015, the UFC signed a contract with Reebok, making it the exclusive sponsor for UFC fighters. It’s important to note that most athletic commissions don’t report a UFC fighter’s pay. New, 40 comments. Skip to Main Content. Advanced 2020/21 Survey. They make BJJ gis, MMA shorts, and all sorts of fighting equipment that Dern uses in her training camps. The “win bonus” is usually the same as the base salary which can obviously be a big incentive for fighters to perform their best. The purses for other fights on the same card as the Mayweather-Guerrero fight in May 2013 ranged from $60,000 to $375,000 for the title fight. MFRM Class of 2019. achieved a . Unlike other sports organizations like the NBA or MLB, the UFC doesn’t have big agents that target rookie fighters. Add Close. Jobs Salaries; Messages Profile; Post a Job; Sign In; Edit Job Search. Endorsements are similar to sponsorships, but take place outside the sphere of the regular UFC fighters pay scale. UFC Height Analysis by Division, MMA Fighters vs The UFC: Revenue Share and Lawsuits, How to Maximize Your Earnings as an MMA Fighter, Doing a great job…I’d like to know how much the ladies are making…. Alistar has competed for nearly a decade in the UFC/Strikeforce and has earned over 8 million in base salary during that time. Mark Hunt has made over 6 million in base salary since joining the UFC in 2010, this is impressive for any fighter to continue fighting at such a high level for over a decade. In comparison, fighters on the main card received between $0 and $50,000, with a mean average of $4,600. Ipsos Mma salaries are collected from government agencies and companies. You’ve got NHL players and MLB players making millions and millions and millions and we’re the fastest growing sport in the world. How much money did MMA fighters make in 2018? However, over a third of UFC fighters don’t even make the American national average in terms of income. While several prominent fighters have made millions in UFC salaries alone, several factors complicate things even further. Despite being the fighter with the most title-fight UFC victories (including wins over the likes of Daniel Cormier, Alexander Gustafsson, Lyoto Machida, and Rampage Jackson), Jon Jones tends to earn less than more popular fighters like Nurmagomedov and McGregor. Learn more about average training in mma Salaries on SimplyHired. Brian Ortega’s Modelo commercial has been seen on all the major networks: By now I think we’ve all seen the Burger King commercial with Conor McGregor. Average salary in Germany is EUR 62,545 (US$ 76,489). He’s been a regular contender ever since, as the current UFC Lightweight Champion. Related UFC 249 medical suspensions: Tony … Boxing → Fighters like Conor McGregor don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck anymore, however, some UFC fighters still struggle to make ends meet if they’re new to professional fighting. Coming off a huge 2017 year and a massive payday from the Floyd “Money” Mayweather boxing match, in which he was paid in an upwards of 100 million. If this answer wasn’t obvious enough already we are here to confirm that yes, this is the number one source of income for MMA fighters. This salary often gets paid out per fight, and is open to negotiation, depending on the fighter’s performance. McGregor still holds the top spot, and Nurmagomedov still has a way to go to catch up to the overall highest-paid UFC fighter. However, over a third of UFC fighters don’t even make the American national average in terms of income. Once he’d shown his chops and became popular, he was able to up his base salary to $250,000 for his fight with Pettis. While it’s unreasonable to expect every fighter to earn McGregor levels of money, the UFC is still far behind other sports leagues when it comes to ensuring fair compensation for all their athletes, regardless of experience and ranking. The UFC signed a 5 year deal with ESPN to broadcast tons of UFC events every year on ESPN and ESPN’s streaming platform ESPN+. There are also performance bonuses, pay-per-view earnings, and off-book payments that muddy the water even further. There are many problems in the MMA industry that many casual fans don’t know about.