UFCalendar
UFC fighter salaries & payouts
Who makes what in the UFC: state-commission disclosures, reported paydays recovered from the historical record, and our model's contract estimates where nothing is public. Real numbers where they exist · clearly labeled estimates where they don't.
Latest cards · estimated payouts
No commission disclosure yet · our model's estimate of what every fighter on the card made, available the moment the event ends.
Event payouts
Cards with recorded fighter pay · disclosed by commissions or reported at the time.
Highest-paid UFC fighters right now (model estimate)
Our model's estimate of each fighter's current show money, from their record, rank and career profile. Estimates, not reported facts.
- 1Justin GaethjeChampion~$1.7M
- 2Sean StricklandChampion~$1M
- 3Alexander VolkanovskiChampion~$985K
- 4Charles Oliveira~$878K
- 5Ilia Topuria~$854K
- 6Carlos UlbergChampion~$852K
- 7Alex Pereira~$782K
- 8Islam MakhachevChampion~$776K
- 9Petr YanChampion~$720K
- 10Ciryl Gane~$718K
- 11Jiri Prochazka~$710K
- 12Max Holloway~$674K
- 13Valentina ShevchenkoChampion~$668K
- 14Joshua VanChampion~$600K
- 15Khamzat Chimaev~$589K
Model estimates, not disclosed figures. Real contracts are private; recent star disclosures are lower bounds.
Biggest recorded paydays
- 1Conor McGregor · UFC 264: Poirier vs McGregor 3$23M
- 2Conor McGregor · UFC 257: Poirier vs McGregor 2$21M
- 3Khabib Nurmagomedov · UFC 229: Khabib vs McGregor$7.1M
- 4Khabib Nurmagomedov · UFC 242: Khabib vs Poirier$6.8M
- 5Khabib Nurmagomedov · UFC 254: Khabib vs Gaethje$6.8M
- 6Conor McGregor · UFC 202: Diaz vs McGregor 2$6.1M
- 7Jon Jones · UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic$5.6M
- 8Conor McGregor · UFC 205: Alvarez vs McGregor$5.4M
- 9Dustin Poirier · UFC 264: Poirier vs McGregor 3$5.1M
- 10Nate Diaz · UFC 202: Diaz vs McGregor 2$5.1M
- 11Conor McGregor · UFC 246: McGregor vs Cowboy$4.6M
- 12Sean O'Malley · UFC 306: Riyadh Season Noche UFC O'Malley vs Dvalishvili$4.1M
Includes estimated pay-per-view points where reported.
How UFC fighter pay works
Most UFC contracts pay “show money” (guaranteed) plus a win bonus that equals the show money · a fighter on $25,000/$25,000 banks $25,000 for losing, $50,000 for winning. Entry-level deals sat around $10,000/$10,000 for a decade; purses step up roughly $2,000 per fight inside a contract and jump on renewals.
On top of the purse, every fighter earns outfitting (Promotional Guidelines Compliance) pay set purely by tenure: from $4,000 per bout for newcomers up to $21,000 for 21+ UFC fights, $32,000 for title challengers and $42,000 for champions.
Since UFC 324, Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonuses pay $100,000 each, and every KO, TKO or submission win adds a $25,000 finish incentive. Champions and stars can also negotiate pay-per-view points · historically $1 to $2.50 per buy above 200,000 · now shifting to streaming-era deals.
Purses used to be public: state athletic commissions disclosed them for decades. Nevada stopped in 2020, Florida in 2021, Arizona in 2022 · today California is the main state still disclosing, which is why recent pay data mixes disclosures, reporting and estimates.
Fighter pay FAQ
How much do UFC fighters make?
The range is enormous: newcomers start around $10,000-$12,000 to show, established mid-card fighters make $50,000-$100,000 per fight, ranked contenders $100,000-$500,000, and champions negotiate flat guarantees from $500,000 into the millions · before win bonuses, $50,000 performance bonuses, outfitting pay and PPV points.
Are UFC salaries public?
Only partially. State commissions disclosed purses for decades, but Nevada went confidential in 2020 and most states followed. California still discloses. Everything else comes from reporting, lawsuits and estimates · recent disclosed figures for stars are lower bounds that miss side letters and PPV money.
What is show money and a win bonus?
Show money is the guaranteed part of the purse a fighter earns by stepping into the cage. The win bonus · typically an identical amount · pays only with a victory. Top earners usually move to flat guarantees with no win bonus.
How much are UFC performance bonuses?
Since UFC 324 in January 2026, Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses are $100,000 each, and every KO, TKO or submission win earns at least a $25,000 finish incentive. From 2012 through 2025 bonuses were $50,000; before 2012 amounts varied per event.