10 of the highest paid UFC fighters of all time

1. Conor McGregor - $26,300,000

Conor McGregor’s name needs no introduction among hardcore as well as casual fight fans. McGregor rose on the UFC horizon as a brash and outspoken fighter from Ireland that was unapologetically himself. While a large section of fight fans did not approve of his pre-fight antics and hoped to watch him lose, McGregor was a unique blend of an outspoken fighter with incredible skillset. More often than not, his antics successfully overshadowed the fact that McGregor was also a great fighter inside the Octagon.

McGregor moved the needle like no other fighter had in the sport’s history and brought a staggeringly high number of eyeballs toward the sport of MMA. He can be considered as the first global UFC star and revolutionized the sport in many ways.

Unironically, McGregor was also the first notable fighter who spoke candidly about making money and flaunting his wealth unapologetically, which came to him in abundance because of his contribution to the sport.

McGregor’s financial growth was as fast as his rise to stardom. As per the disclosed fighter pay, he earned $24,000 in his second fight under the UFC umbrella against Max Holloway. In less than three years, McGregor became the first fighter in UFC history to take home $1 million in terms of disclosed salary when he fought Nate Diaz at UFC 196.

McGregor made several big achievements in the following years, earning a total of $26.3 million from his UFC fights to top the list of highest-paid UFC fighters. A look at the statistics helps put McGregor’s impact on the sport in perspective. Eight of the ten highest grossing pay-per-view events in UFC history were headlined by McGregor. Meanwhile, three of the five highest gates in UFC history were recorded in events headlined by McGregor.