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NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 11: Conor McGregor of Ireland is interviewed by Joe Rogan during the UFC 205 weigh-in inside Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 11: Conor McGregor of Ireland is interviewed by Joe Rogan during the UFC 205 weigh-in inside Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
The fighting business is the hardest one to make a living in, with the high level of expertise and hard work required to make it to the top. It’s a tough life to live, and if you do make it to the top, the compensation is mind-numbingly high. Just ask Conor McGregor.
UFC fighters are known to have some huge contracts and deals. Fighters like McGregor and Jon Jones have received some of the highest paying contracts in all sports, not just the UFC. Dana White hasn’t been afraid to shell out money where it’s due.
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NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 20: Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov faces-off with Conor McGregor during the UFC 229 Press Conference at Radio City Music Hall on September 20, 2018, in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
When we talk about the highest earning fighter in the UFC, we have to look at the fighters who bring in the most money. Conor McGregor has broken the Pay-per-view record time and time again for events he has featured in. He has been a part of all the Top-5 pay-per-view buys the UFC has ever done.
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His fight against Khabib tops the chart at 2.4 million buys for UFC 229. His fights against Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier, and Donald ‘The Cowboy’ Cerrone round up the Top-5. Naturally, his numbers justify his earnings, and hence he is the highest earner in the UFC.
The female superstar accompanying Conor McGregor as the highest earner in the UFC
The women’s fighting business in the UFC has seen a massive rise in popularity in the last decade. Ronda Rousey’s arrival and steep rise were also instrumental in that as she was in the Top-10 highest-earning women on the planet at one point.
Her steady decline and her loss to Amanda Nunes laid the stage for Amanda’s steady rise to the throne. Amanda Nunes has been dubbed as the greatest fighter of all time by many in the MMA world. She has been a dominant force in the women’s divisions and is currently a champion in two different divisions.
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INGLEWOOD, CA – DECEMBER 29: Amanda Nunes of Brazil celebrates her KO victory over Cris Cyborg of Brazil in their women’s featherweight bout during the UFC 232 event inside The Forum on December 29, 2018, in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Her accolades and her tale justify her being the highest-paid female fighter in all of MMA, not just in the UFC. According to The Sports Daily, Valentina Shevchenko, Holly Holm, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and the current strawweight champion Zhang Weili are among the highest earners in the UFC.
According to Fox Sports, UFC legends Michael Bisping, Georges St. Pierre, and Anderson Silva follow McGregor in the Top-5 and a surprise candidate Mark Hunt in 5th. ‘The Cowboy’ is in 6th place due to the high amount of fights he has fought in the UFC.
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READ MORE- Is Amanda Nunes the Greatest of All Time?
