In the unforgiving Octagon of UFC finances, skill and dominance don’t always translate to dollar signs—just ask Demetrious Johnson. The flyweight maestro, whose balletic violence and technical wizardry earned him GOAT status among purists, somehow couldn’t invoke the same magic when it came to his paycheck. It is no secret that for the longest time, Dana White and Co. had plans to get rid of the 125lbs division altogether owing to its inability to conjure the PPV numbers, and with Johnson at its helm as champion, the scapegoat was crystal clear. In short, the 11-time title-defending juggernaut found himself trapped in the peculiar paradox of being simultaneously unbeatable yet unmarketable.

Enter Conor McGregor—the whiskey-slinging, suit-wearing hurricane of charisma whose Irish brogue transformed press conferences into theatrical masterpieces and fights into cultural events. Moreover, the Irishman brought in record numbers with his provocative trash talk and devastating left hand. Just listen to this! Out of the 10 largest PPV-garnering events in UFC history, the Irishman headlined 8 of those including iconic cards such as UFC 229 (the highest PPV raking event at 2.4 million buys), UFC 202, UFC 194, and UFC 246. The Dubliner didn’t just make millions—he created millionaires in his wake. And this was true even for the Irishman’s fiercest rivals! Even for Dustin Poirier who met the Irishman on three separate occasions in his career, most notably at UFC 257 and UFC 264.

“Dustin, he fought Conor. He was like, that’s all he needed to do cuz’ if you fight Conor or if you get on a card with a mega card, then it’s like you’ve f***ing house,” Johnson stated on Outta Pocket with RGIII. In other words, the Louisiana native rode the Celtic cash wave and found himself immersed in the McGregor money vortex!

The 125lbs GOAT then turned his attention to another beneficiary of the McGregor money machine: Tyron Woodley. When McGregor ascended to mythical status at UFC 205, becoming the first fighter to simultaneously hold two championship belts, he wasn’t the only one making history that night. In his shadow, ‘The Chosen One’ quietly pocketed a cool half-million dollars for his co-main event 170lbs title clash with Stephen Thompson, before even factoring in the PPV points that flowed like nectar from McGregor’s headline-grabbing presence.

“Tyron Woodley did it… they [the UFC] just released that he was fighting ‘Wonderboy’, and he told me he got $500,000 and PPV points,” ‘Mighty Mouse’ added. “The card wasn’t finalized, and then, eventually it was like Conor vs Eddie Alvarez as the main event, and I said to him, ‘You’re rich, playboy!’ I was like, ‘You did it.”

Moreover, Johnson always had a tough time securing the PPV points that other UFC champions received the moment they won gold. “I fought and fought and fought, they specifically said we do not give pay-per-view points to flyweight guys,” Johnson said in a YouTube video. “They said that to me, and that’s why I took the $125,000 [to show] and $50,000 [to win contract] after I beat Joseph Benavidez in [2013] the second time when I knocked him out.”

Even as one of the most dominant champions in UFC history, Johnson went through his entire contract without PPV points. “I went through my whole contract as champion,” he added. “I got to re-negotiate, ‘I want pay-per-view points,” to which White said, “We don’t give it to you [125lbs] guys.”

Johnson finally received a one-time PPV point deal when he fought Henry Cejudo for the second time at UFC 227 in 2018. However, despite being a co-main event under the T.J. Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt bantamweight title fight, the event only sold a reported 300,000 buys—a notable improvement over Johnson’s previous PPV headliners, some of which barely surpassed 100,000 buys.

“I had a lot of amazing things in my career, it’s true,” Johnson reflected last year. “But, it never really did translate over into the mainstream media. I was on the top best plays on ESPN. I saw Sean O’Malley on ESPN this morning at the gym. I had the same type of media exposure, but it just didn’t translate over to the PPV buys. I don’t know why it never did, but it’s always something we’ll be wondering why it didn’t.”

Then, in a rare and historic move, Johnson was “traded” to ONE Championship for Ben Askren in 2018, marking one of the most unique and evident transactions in MMA history. This is the paradoxical economy of combat sports—where sometimes the quickest path to financial security isn’t through championship dominance or technical perfection, but through twenty-five minutes of shared spotlight with the sport’s reigning financial king.

In the kingdom of UFC, skill may earn the crown, but proximity to McGregor paves the streets with gold. And because the Irishman pulls in the PPV numbers and stacks of cash, it is safe to say that every individual looks to capitalize and tries to earn the fabled ‘Dana White’ privilege to be placed on a McGregor headlined card.

But before McGregor started making waves as the poster boy for the UFC, there was another trailblazer. And unlike McGregor, her rise to the top led to the rise of WMMA! Talk about cultural and historical impact! Talk about Ronda Rousey.

Dana White claims Ronda Rousey was the biggest star before Conor McGregor

When Dana White was first asked about women’s MMA in the year 2011, his response was a firm “never.” At the time, he didn’t believe female fighters could generate the same excitement as their male counterparts. But then came Ronda Rousey—a game-changer in every sense of the word. The Strikeforce women’s 135lbs champ made her way to the UFC as the reigning champion and guess what? ‘Rowdy’ was crowned the inaugural UFC 135lbs women’s champ even before she stepped inside the cage. Talk about star power!

But once she did with her first defense at UFC 157 against Liz Carmouche, Rousey wasn’t just dominating inside the Octagon; she was everywhere—movies, talk shows, magazine covers—you name it. Her 10-fight unbeaten streak turned her into a global superstar and, more importantly, the UFC’s highest-paid athlete for a time. Even McGregor didn’t surpass her earnings until he exploded onto the scene.

“When Ronda Rousey was here, she made more money than everybody until Conor McGregor hit the scene. She was the highest-paid athlete in the company because she brought in the most money,” Dana White recently told Mark Bouris. Rousey’s impact on the sport was undeniable. While public opinion on her may have shifted over the years, she made history financially.

Her biggest payday came at UFC 207, where—despite losing—she walked away with an estimated $4.8 million. That kind of payout was unheard of for a female fighter at the time, and even today, most women in the UFC earn significantly less. Reports suggest the average payout for female fighters ranges between $152,000 and $228,000.

It doesn’t seem like the financial structure of the UFC will change anytime soon, but some fighters have found ways to maximize their earnings. Could more fighters follow this approach? Let us know what you think in the comments below!