Recently MMA analysts crunched some numbers and calculated the purse-money earned by MMA fighters throughout their careers. This is actually more difficult than it sounds. Even though purse money is made public by various athletic commissions, certain bonus structures (such as PPV bonuses) are not made public. So we can determine how much Conor’s purse was for UFC 202, but we are left to speculate the rest. Although assumptions can sometimes be made.
In order to expand on the purse-money calculations made public earlier, we are combining those figures with each fighter’s estimated net worth. That should give us some idea as to how much they are earning in terms of PPV bonuses and/or revenue generated outside the UFC.
Here are the top 7 highest earning MMA fighters (in terms of purse-money collected)…
7. Chuck Liddell
Purse money earned: $4,380,000
Estimated Net Worth: $14,000,000
No surprise to see “the Iceman” ranked on this list. Liddell was a huge star for the UFC from 2004-08. Unfortunately after that it became all too apparent his ability to take a punch had drastically declined.
Liddell, along with Matt Hughes, were recently released from the UFC. This was most likely due to a company-wide audit that is currently underway by new ownership group, WME-IMG. It is entirely possible they found out Liddell didn’t really do anything.
His main source of revenue from outside the UFC is through film and TV work. He most recently appeared in the movie “War Pigs”, a rare role for him where he does not play a version of himself. He also appeared on the hit show “Dancing with the Stars”.
