UFC rich list: from Conor McGregor to Khabib Nurmagomedov, the 5 richest fighters ever – net worths ranked

Jul 1 , 2021

Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor and Brock Lesnar rank among the UFC’s highest-earning fighters ever. Photos: @khabib_nurmagomedov; @thenotoriousmma; @brock._.lesnar/Instagram

Conor McGregor made history this year after banking US$158 million from selling his Proper No. Twelve whiskey brand – but has anyone ever earned more?

From B.J. Penn’s pioneering multi-division wins to WWE crossover star Brock Lesnar, these are the UFC’s most financially successful stars so far

They’ve become household names because of their abilities in the Octagon, and as their fame grows, so do their bank balances. These UFC fighters have dominated the mixed martial arts game and aren’t shy to spend their hard-earned cash.

Here are the richest UFC fighters of all time, according to multiple sources, and how they spend their money.

B.J. Penn – US$22 million

B.J. Penn and his luxurious cars. Photo: @bjpenn/Instagram

B.J. Penn was the first non-Brazilian winner of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, taking the black belt division in 2000. This opened the door to UFC, where he would became champion of both the lightweight and welterweight divisions – the second of seven fighters to win multiple titles – and was hailed by UFC president Dana White for bringing the lower weight divisions into the spotlight.

He has a net worth of US$22 million and, according to Ultimate Fighting Network, most of his wealth is from fight pay during his eight-year UFC run. He also had endorsement deals with Reebok and Last Shot, and runs his own gym and an MMA media distribution website.

Brock Lesnar – US$25 million

Brock Lesnar rocking the shades. Photo: @brock._.lesnar/Instagram

Whether fans know him from UFC or WWE, Brock Lesnar has clearly made a fortune from his fight power. According to Sportskeeda, Lesnar brought the UFC some of its highest selling pay-per-view events. His pay for his UFC 200 fight against Mark Hunt alone was reportedly US$2.5 million.

The publication also reports he owns a collection of luxury cars and lives in a US$2.1 million home in Canada. According to Talk Sport, Lesnar was WWE’s biggest earner in 2020 and his earnings are now based on a flat rate, not the pay-per-view buys like other fighters.