10 Biggest Payouts In UFC History

Highlights

• UFC fighters can start with low pay but reach multi-million dollar paydays with enough star power and big fights.
• Notable UFC fighters like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey have earned over $4 million from single bouts in their careers.
• The highest UFC payout on record goes to Brock Lesnar, who earned a staggering $8 million for his return fight at UFC 200 in 2016.

The UFC, like a lot of other combat sports, has a wide pay range. Fighters starting out in the company shouldn't expect to get paid much, roughly $10,000 per fight to be exact. However, once these fighters start to get some star power behind them, they can command massive paydays.

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While the likes of Conor McGregor don't make as much in the UFC as they would in boxing for example, 'The Notorious' has still made a lot of money. That being said, the Irishman is far from the only man to leave the cage as a multi-millionaire. These ten payouts reflect that.

Note: All payout information is via public releases from athletic commissions, as well as BloodyElbow. The information from the latter is directly sourced from internal Zuffa documents relating to the ongoing UFC Antitrust Trial.

10 UFC 129: Georges St-Pierre (vs. Jake Shields)

Reported Payout: $4,314,289

Georges St-Pierre's UFC 129 title defense against Jake Shields was arguably the biggest fight of his career. While 'Rush' had a lot of big fights, this one took place in front of over 55,000 fans in his home country of Canada.

St-Pierre largely dominated Shields, winning by unanimous decision after five rounds of action. To make things better for the Canadian, he walked away with over $4,000,000, a career-high payday.

9 UFC 202: Nate Diaz (vs. Conor McGregor)

Reported Payout: $4,315,490

Nate Diaz's 2016 rivalry with Conor McGregor shot the Stockton slugger into superstardom. That March, he upset 'The Notorious' on short notice, winning by second-round submission. However, it was clear things weren't done between the two rivals.

At UFC 202 in August, McGregor avenged his loss with a majority decision victory. However, it wasn't all bad news for Diaz. He left the cage with a massive, $4,315,490 payday from that fight.

8 UFC 168: Anderson Silva (vs. Chris Weidman 2)

Reported Payout: $4,374,326

UFC 168 is one of the most devastating events in MMA history. In the main event, fans had to witness Anderson Silva's prime essentially end, with a horrific leg break in his rematch with Chris Weidman.

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If there was a single bright spot for 'The Spider', it was his career-high payday. The December 2013 bout saw Silva earn well over four million dollars.

7 UFC 194: Conor McGregor (vs. Jose Aldo)

Reported Payout: $4,476,662

This will be the first of many appearances for Conor McGregor on this list. In December 2015, Conor McGregor finally got to face Jose Aldo. After nearly a year of build, a world tour, and more, the heated rivalry was over in 13 seconds.

'The Notorious' excelled in his biggest fight to date, handing the Brazilian his first loss in a decade by knockout. To make things better for McGregor, he earned $4,476,662 dollars from the win, a then-career-high payday. Although, that was just the start of his massive purses.

6 UFC 193: Ronda Rousey (vs. Holly Holm)

Reported Payout: $4,536,932

It's easy to forget, but Ronda Rousey had the world in a chokehold in 2015. 'Rowdy' was making WWE appearances, starring in movies such as Fast and Furious, released a book, and was the UFC's biggest star.

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However, everything changed with a knockout loss to Holly Holm in November. While the defeat was the beginning of the end for Rousey, she still got a massive payday from the bout, walking away with over $4.5 million.

5 UFC 207: Ronda Rousey (vs. Amanda Nunes)

Reported Payout: $4,879,766

The year after suffering a knockout loss to Holly Holm, Ronda Rousey returned to the cage. However, what was supposed to be the start of her incredible comeback, was instead the start of Amanda Nunes' historic title reign.

'The Lioness' demolished 'Rowdy' inside a minute at UFC 207 in December 2016. In what will likely be the last MMA fight of Rousey's incredible career, she got a nearly five million dollar payout.

4 UFC 196: Conor McGregor (vs. Nate Diaz)

Reported Payout: $5,576,315

UFC 196 was supposed to be a crowning moment for Conor McGregor. Just a few months after scoring a knockout win over Jose Aldo, he was supposed to face the lightweight champion, Rafael dos Anjos. Instead, he faced Nate Diaz, who stepped up on two weeks' notice.

As the story goes, Diaz scored one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, scoring a submission win over the Irishman. However, the pay-per-view was one of the biggest in MMA history, and directly led to an over five million dollar payday for 'The Notorious'.

3 UFC 202: Conor McGregor (vs. Nate Diaz)

Reported Payout: $5,615,490

Luckily for Conor McGregor, he wasn't kept down for long. Just a few months after suffering a loss to Nate Diaz, the Irishman went back to the lab. With more prep time, he had a much better and composed game plan for the rematch.

After five rounds of war, McGregor emerged with a majority decision victory over his rival. Much like the first bout, this event was one of the highest-grossing in UFC history. Again, McGregor walked away with an over $5 million purse.

2 UFC 205: Conor McGregor (vs. Eddie Alvarez)

Reported Payout: $6,812,374

Conor McGregor's 2016 is one of the wildest in MMA history. He started the year in March on the wrong end of one of the biggest upset losses ever. Ending the year, he was headlining the UFC's first show in Madison Square Garden as a double-champion.

At UFC 205 in November, McGregor dominated Eddie Alvarez in one of the most lopsided title wins in MMA history. To top it off, he left New York with nearly 7 million dollars to his name.

1 UFC 200: Brock Lesnar (vs. Mark Hunt)

Reported Payout: $8,000,000

In case you can't tell, 2016 was by far the biggest year in UFC history. Conor McGregor fought multiple times, as did Anderson Silva. CM Punk debuted, and Ronda Rousey fought as well, but it all paled in comparison to the return of Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar made a stunning return out of nowhere, to defeat Mark Hunt at UFC 200. The WWE superstar got a historic payday for his sudden comeback, earning a $8,000,000 in a flat fee and PPV deal to compete.