How much do UFC fighters get paid?

UFC fighter pay isn’t set in stone: it’s shaped by contracts, bonuses, and who’s stepping into the octagon. Casino Guru has analyzed all the variables that determine a fighter’s paycheck to give you the full picture, based on the publicly available information.

While these numbers are disputed, and figures from the league aren’t openly available, we have combed through the available sources to try and build an approximate overview of what a UFC fighter’s pay looks like.

We have looked beyond base salaries, such as winning a fight, performance bonuses, and whether a fighter’s status in the pecking order would make them eligible for a cut of the Pay Per View revenue (PPV is gone now).

How much do UFC fighters get paid per fight?

The first factor to consider here is a fighter’s base salary. Despite its culture of performance-driven remuneration, the UFC has long established a base salary for its fighters, allowing them to remain competitive and scale the league’s pecking order.

This means that no matter who you are, as long as you qualify to fight in the octagon, you are going to be taking money home with you after every fight. The base salary for a new fighter could be set at anything between $10,000 and $12,000 just to show up.

However, fighters who become fan-favorites or build a presence naturally start to enjoy higher base salaries, which could be anything between $20,000 and $100,000 per fight. Islam Makhachev has been paid more than that - he earned $200,000 at UFC 311 to fight Reinato Moicano.

For the very elite, the base salaries may start from $500,000, and could reportedly hit $3,000,000 per fight. There are several fighters who have commanded such paychecks.

Jon Jones was paid $3,000,000 to show up against Ciryl Gane. Conor McGregor has earned as much or more for his highly anticipated bouts against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier.

For example, his fight against Poirier at UFC 257 in January 2021 reportedly fetched him $22 million, according to a report by ESPN and Forbes, but a further breakdown was not available.

Importantly, there is a lot of upward mobility, too. Makhachev, for example, earned $3.3 million at UFC 322, defeating Jack Della Maddalena by U-Dec.

Do UFC fighters get paid if they lose?

Yes, the UFC has come a long way as an organization, and it has promoted athlete well-being for over a decade. The company is always paying out fighters to show up and fight, regardless of the outcome.

Some of the biggest purses have been taken after a loss and rather quick bouts - just think how long it took Nurmagomedov to submit McGregor at UFC 229.

Nurmagomedov earned a flat $2 million pay, whereas McGregor fetched $3 million owing to his more prominent status despite losing the fight.

So, absolutely - the UFC wants to pay its fighters, because the organization has built a business model that does not rely on lowballing its fighters. Rather, it wants to maintain a healthy lineup of capable and well-taken-care men and women who step into the octagon and give it their best shot.

Are there UFC bonuses for winning?

Beyond the base salary, which is paid out per fight, fighters earn money throughout the UFC ecosystem in other ways. The most common of these types of remuneration boosts is the "win bonus."

A win bonus is an amount that is paid to the fighter who secures the bout. For new fighters, the win bonus is often equivalent to the base salary, which could double the money someone leaves the octagon with. However, this is hardly the only way fighters may generate additional money.

Performance Bonuses

Besides awarding win bonuses, the UFC may, in fact, award something called a Performance Bonus. This is done at the league’s discretion, and it usually favors both fighters.

Performance bonuses are usually offered to the Main Event participants, and these bonuses could range from anything between $50,000 $100,000, although there is no specific amount fixed.

Oftentimes, performance bonuses may be granted to individual fighters. As of the time of writing this article, the UFC athlete with the most performance bonuses to his name is Charles Oliveira, with 21 such awards.

Other fighters to have earned performance bonuses and currently hold the most such awards include Donald Cerrone (18), Nate Diaz (16) and Jim Miller, and Dustin Poirier with 15 each.

Pay Per View

When we ask how much UFC fighters earn, we usually mean their base salary and perhaps bonuses. The reason why this is the case is that tracking down endorsements, sponsorships, and personal branding is difficult and usually depends on a fighter’s own account.

Another such metric that was applicable until recently was Pay Per View, or how much fighters may earn as a percentage of the money paid to watch a given fight. Now, it is important to explain that not many UFC fighters can hope for such a honeypot in their careers.

PPV is not as easily shared out revenue stream by the UFC, but there are exceptions. Conor McGregor is one of those exceptions, with the fighter arguing to have earned millions from Pay Per View revenue, and specifically from his bouts against Diaz and Nurmagomedov.

He also received an estimated $25 million from PPV for his fight against Poirier at UFC 257, according to Forbes' estimate.

Keep in mind that the UFC has now replaced its PPV model with a Paramount+ multi-billion-dollar deal. This is not to say that the UFC would still not cut some extra money for its top-performing fighters, similar to its PPV model before, but we just cannot confirm it right now.

Beyond the octagon: UFC fighters earn more money off their brand

UFC fighter pay is as dynamic as the sport itself. While every fighter is guaranteed a base salary, fighters who continue to win are better earners overall.

Win bonuses, performance awards, and, for the elite few, a share of PPV revenue can dramatically boost a fighter’s income.

Equally important, big paydays are also found outside the octagon in the form of endorsements, personal branding, and partnerships that help generate enough excitement and eyeballs to drive profits and business results.

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