Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Israel Adesanya are three of the biggest names to have ever graced the Octagon, making millions for the UFC on their way to stardom, including a lot of money for their own back pockets.
Dana White, the president of the organisation, gets plenty of bad press for what he decides to pay his fighters who risk their lives in the Octagon to put on a show and make him his money.
Obviously, the bigger you are in the sport, the more money you will get as you’re going to sell more pay-per-views and seats, however, endorsements and sponsorships are the big money spinners for the fighters at the top.
Daniel Cormier reveals how much they earn
One of the greatest ever UFC fighters of all time, Daniel Cormier, was speaking on a podcast about the yearly salaries of some of the biggest names in the sport.
Obviously, unless he’s the accountant or manager for these fighters he won’t know for certain about the actual income of the names he mentions, but he will have a stronger idea than most given his illustrious career in the sport.
He details the money made by legends and rivals, Khabib and McGregor, as well as current great, Adesanya, who will be back in the Octagon against Alex Pereira on November 12 in the main event of UFC 281.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 17: Daniel Cormier enters the ring to fight Stipe Miocic during their UFC Heavyweight Title Bout at UFC 241 at Honda Center on August 17, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)
McGregor, Khabib & Adesanya UFC salaries
Cormier has revealed what he thought those three fighters earned for their fights, with Adesanya taking home between five and seven million dollars a fight according to DC, who also admitted Khabib would take $10 million home.
However, Notorious goes above and beyond those at $20 million a year, that’s double what his former rival was making which is mind-blowing.
He then confirmed that the fighters would get a cheque with their money as soon as they returned to the locker room. Say what you want about White, but promptly paying your fighters is always a good thing, with him clearly throwing the mega bucks at his biggest stars.
Video: Daniel Cormier reveals UFC salaries
Obviously the fees will be slightly different from his fighting days, although he will have a solid idea on what the main event fights will earn and he will likely still have connections in the sport, so you’d imagine the figures will be pretty accurate.
Those figures are before any sort of fight night bonuses or sponsorship details.