2024 was a great year from a financial standpoint, not only for the UFC but for the fighters as well. Alex Pereira seems to have stood out for his amazing title defense wins, leading him to make tens of millions of dollars according to many sources. But who’ll make the most money when we end 2025? We asked Artificial Intelligence for help and it has given us some predictions.

UFC will open the year with UFC Vegas 101 on January 11, followed by the first PPV, UFC 311, on January 18. With some top fighters in both these events, it’s safe to assume that there’ll be fighters who’ll make some serious cash in the aftermath of their fights. But it seems like none of them will make it to the list of the highest earners at the end of 2025, according to AI, because the highest earner is still going to be the biggest star in the promotion.

1. Conor McGregor

Although he’s been away from the action inside the Octagon for almost three and a half years, Conor McGregor remains one of the biggest draws, not only in the UFC or the MMA scene but combat sports in general. AI predicts him to end up as the biggest earner in 2025, but not primarily because of his fights in Dana White’s promotion.

In fact, AI claims that most of Conor McGregor’s earnings will come from the many businesses he owns – like his KUDO Protein Popcorn. Moreover, one can also expect ‘The Notorious’ to make some dough from his gig as a fight promoter in the BKFC as well. According to the prediction, McGregor will end the year by pocketing around $30-50 million.

Coming up next is another fight we’d expect to be on this list, given how big of a legend he’s in the game already, and that is the undisputed heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.

2. Jon Jones

Obviously, Jon Jones would be on this list because if there’s anyone else who’s made Dana White more money than Conor McGregor, it’s the consensus MMA GOAT. One of the longest-tenured fighters in UFC history, ‘Bones’ recently claimed that the end is near for his career, but there’s one big fight that many fans want to see. If you’re wondering what that could be, it’s the highly anticipated heavyweight clash between Jones and Tom Aspinall.

Dana White, despite Jones’s insistence on fighting Alex Pereira, is adamant about making this fight happen. He believes that the Jones vs. Aspinall fight has the potential to be the biggest one the company’s ever booked, possibly eclipsing Conor McGregor’s epic bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

However, Jones has demanded to be paid handsomely, and, as per AI, that could very well be the case. According to the digital entity’s prediction, the heavyweight champion could end the year by making around $25-40 million, including the many endorsement deals and sponsorships. Now, let’s take a look at our next entry.

3. Alex Pereira

There’s a new star in town and his name is Alex Pereira. The Brazilian ace has become one of the biggest stars, with the potential to surpass Conor McGregor. Not only has he mesmerized fans with his unique striking style that almost always helps him earn flashy knockouts, but he’s also been a pretty busy man on social media, collaborating with various influencers.

Pereira recently proved how big of a star he is when he visited various countries, with South Korea standing out as one of the biggest admirers of ‘Poatan’. Having made the most money in a year in 2024, AI sees Pereira closing the year by bagging a total sum of $20-35 million in 2025.

The next entry is also one of the biggest stars of the promotion, who’s touted to become the next Conor McGregor, and you might know by now who we’re talking about.

4. Sean O’Malley

Sean O’Malley‘s momentum may have gotten derailed when he dropped his 135lbs belt to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306, but he showed that an event headlined can be a massive success. Yes, the Sphere was the star of that evening, but the headlined bout made well over $22 million in ticket sales, making it the highest gate for an event in UFC history.

Moreover, O’Malley has built a huge fan base thanks to his social media presence and his flamboyant personality. In addition to that, he’s proved to be quite the marketable star for the UFC as well, and Dana White is pretty high on ‘Suga’s superstar status. Now, we don’t know when O’Malley will make his return in 2025, but AI predicts him ending the year with a total of $15-30 million in earnings.

Now, let’s close the list with a big earner in 2025, Ilia Topuria.

5. Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria has become an international sensation after winning the featherweight championship and becoming the first UFC fighter to finish the legendary Max Holloway. His stardom has led his fans to make so many cries for a UFC event in Spain, and guess what? Dana White has revealed that they are working to get to Spain in 2025 in the city of Madrid.

Obviously, Topuria would be headlining that fight, which will see him take home a hefty amount. Having had an amazing 2024, which saw him pop up on many pundits and analysts’ discussions about potentially becoming the fighter of the year, we can assume that his paychecks are only going to increase in the months and years to come. But for 2025, AI sees him earning around $10-20 million, which also includes his many sponsorship deals.

AI has made many predictions for this year, so it would be interesting to see if this list comes true. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.