On Saturday, June 3rd, the UFC held their biggest event of the year – UFC 276. The event featured a spectacular card that included many exciting bouts and some big payouts. Here are the top three UFC 276 payouts:
1. Jon Jones – $1,500,000
2. Demetrious Johnson – $750,000
3. Cris Cyborg – $500,000
Demetrious Johnson
Demetrious Johnson earned a total of $2,006,000 from his UFC earnings in 2016. This was the highest salary of any fighter in the UFC that year.
Johnson’s earnings were based on two fights. He earned $500,000 for his victory over Henry Cejudo in the first round of their flyweight title bout and another $500,000 for his victory over Joseph Benavidez in the final round. These earnings made him the highest-paid fighter in the UFC in 2016.
In 2015, Johnson also earned a high salary from the UFC. His total income that year was $1,755,000. This was based on one fight, his victory over Ray Borg in the first round of their flyweight title bout. Johnson’s income as champion allowed him to earn an additional $100,000.
Other top earners from the UFC in 2016 included Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey. McGregor earned a total of $865,000 for his win over Nate Diaz and Rousey earned $700,000 for her victory over Amanda Nunes.
Tony Ferguson
Tony Ferguson is the current UFC lightweight champion and he has won three title fights in a row. In each of his title defenses, Ferguson has earned a record $2.5 million payout.
Ferguson’s payouts are especially impressive considering he is not the most popular fighter among fans. He has never won a major award or earned widespread acclaim from the media. His only claim to fame is being the winner of “The Ultimate Fighter”.
Nevertheless, Ferguson’s payouts show that there is money to be made in professional MMA even if you do not have a famous name or an enthusiastic fan base.
Max Holloway
Max Holloway is one of the top fighters in the UFC and he has a lot of money to show for it. In 2018, he earned a total of $2.5 million from fighting and endorsements.
The highest paid fighter in 2018 was Max Holloway. He earned a total of $2.5 million from fighting and endorsements in 2018. That includes a salary of $1.5 million from UFC fights, as well as income from sponsorships and other appearances.
Conclusion
The UFC 276 payouts were announced today and it was a three-man race to the finish. Khabib Nurmagomedov took home a reported $2 million after his victory over Conor McGregor, while Max Holloway earned $1.5 million for his win over Brian Ortega. The final payout went to Anthony Pettis who took home just under $500,000 for his loss to Nate Diaz.
There were some big names left out of the money list as Rafael dos Anjos, Dominick Cruz and Cody Garbrandt all failed to make weight for their fights on Saturday night. Dos Anjos did earn an undisclosed “fight bonus” though so he is still in good shape financially.
Overall, the UFC 276 payouts showed that there is still a lot of money to be made in professional MMA. The top three earners all earned well over $1 million and there are plenty of other fighters who are earning decent salaries too.