Who from UFC fighters earned more than others this year? We have the answer to this question.

It is worth noting that these amounts only include official fighter fees, bonuses for the best performance and fight of the night, plus sponsorship money from Reebok. Many of the most popular fighters additionally receive various bonuses and a percentage of pay-per-view sales, not to mention the sponsorship money they earn outside the Octagon.

It's no surprise that the top two spots on the list are headlined by the two highest-grossing events in the world. UFC history.

1. Conor McGregor (20-3) - $4,180,000

The Irishman had two fights this year with varying degrees of success. In March, in the main event of UFC 196, he was strangled in the 2nd round by Nate Diaz, and in August, in the main event of UFC 202, Conor took revenge by decision.

McGregor received a $1,000,000 purse for his UFC 196 fight, plus a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus and another $40,000 from Reebok. Total $1,090,000. For the rematch with Diaz, the Notorious One’s earnings were already significantly higher: $3,090,000 ($3,000,000 in fees, again a bonus of $50,000 for the “Fight of the Night” and the same $40,000 from Reebok).

McGregor will be able to get even further ahead in this list on November 12 in New York, where he will fight lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in the main event of UFC 205. Judging by the hype, McGregor’s official earnings alone will amount to several million US dollars.

2. Nate Diaz (19-11) - $2,690,000

Diaz, who is in second place, is noticeably behind the leader of the list. Nate received $620,000 for his victory over McGregor in March ($500,000 to enter the cage, $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus and $20,000 sponsorship money from Reebok).

For the rematch with McGregor, Diaz Jr. also received much more, namely $2,070,000 ($2,000,000 for entering the cage, $50,000 bonus for the “Fight of the Night” and $20,000 in Reebok payments).

3. Brock Lesnar (6-3) - $2,550,000

Former UFC champion heavyweight Lesnar returned in July at UFC 200, fighting his first fight since 2011. Brock quite confidently beat the experienced Mark Hunt on points and earned $2,550,000 ($2,500,000 for entering the cage and $5,000 from Reebok). At that time, the official fee of $2,500,000 was considered the highest in the history not only of the UFC, but of all mixed martial arts. The following month, that figure was improved by $500,000 by Conor McGregor.

After his performance at UFC 200, it became known that Lesnar had two positive anti-estrogen doping tests, and Brock’s MMA career is currently in limbo.

4. Dan Henderson (32-15) - $1,540,000

Henderson, 46, made good money before retiring. For his June 2nd round knockout win over Hector Lombard at UFC 199, "Hendo" received $860,000 ($600,000 to show up, $200,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus and $10,000 Reebok).

In October at UFC 204, Dan lost a unanimous decision to middleweight champion Michael Bisping in a rematch. For your last Stand Henderson was paid $680,000 in his career ($600,000 to enter the cage, $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus and $30,000 from Reebok).

A great year for middleweight champion Michael Bisping - 3 wins in 3 fights. In February at UFC Fight Night 84, Bisping, although not without difficulty, won a unanimous decision in front of a home crowd over Anderson Silva. The Briton's success was rewarded with $495,000 ($275,000 to show up, $150,000 win bonus, $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus and $20,000 Reebok sponsorship).

“The Count” acquired the belt at the June UFC 199 show, entering the fight with Luke Rockhold on a two-week notice, which did not prevent him from sensationally knocking out the champion in the 1st round. Despite winning the title fight, Bisping earned less than for the fight against the legendary Brazilian - $330,000 ($250,000 for entering the cage, including a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus and $30,000 from Reebok).

In October, at UFC 204, again at home, Bisping took revenge on Dan Henderson, despite the fact that he was knocked down twice during the fight. Michael's remuneration was $680,000 ($600,000 to enter the cage, $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus and $30,000 from Reebok).

6. Alistair Overeem (41-15) - $1,477,857

Overeem never managed to conquer another peak. In September at UFC 203, he was knocked out in the opening five minutes by UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. 4 months earlier, in his native Holland, “Rome” knocked out Andrei Orlovsky in the 2nd round. He earned $597,857 for the fight ($342,857 to show, $200,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, and $5,000 Reebok sponsorship)

Behind title fight At UFC 203, the Dutchman received $880,000 ($800,000 for entering the cage, $50,000 bonus for “Fight of the Year” and $30,000 from Reebok).

7. Anderson Silva (33-8) - $1,280,000

Former UFC middleweight champion and multiple promotion record holder Silva is spending 2016 on a minor note. In February at UFC Fight Night 84, “The Spider” lost in a competitive 5-round fight to Michael Bisping and earned $665,000 ($600,000 to enter the cage, $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus and $15,000 from Reebok).

At UFC 200 in July, Anderson replaced Jon Jones against light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. Over the course of three non-title rounds, DC outlasted the Brazilian without any problems, as they say. Consolation for the loser could be a payout of $615,000 ($600,000 for entering the cage and $15,000 from Reebok).

8. Robbie Lawler (27-11) - $1,090,000

Former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler has spent the current year with varying degrees of success. In January at UFC 195, he defended his title with great difficulty, defeating Carlos Condit by split decision. The not-so-confident victory earned “Ruthless” $590,000 ($500,000 to enter the cage, $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus and $40,000 from Reebok).

But in July at UFC 201, Robbie was dethroned by Tyron Woodley, who knocked him out in just over two minutes. Lawler's total official check for the fight was $540,000 ($500,000 to enter the cage and $40,000 from Reebok).

9. Stipe Miocic (16-2) - $1,069,000

Heavyweight champion Miocic can boast of having the most successful year of his career, both in terms of sporting achievements, and from a financial point of view.

The year began for him with a bright knockout victory at the January UFC 195 event. Then, in a minute, Stipe was defeated by Andrei Orlovsky. The win earned him $175,000 ($60,000 to show, $60,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus and $5,000 Reebok payout).

In May at UFC 198, Miocic again knocked out belt holder Fabricio Werdum in the 1st round on enemy territory. The newly crowned champion earned $204,000 ($62,000 to show, $62,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, and $30,000 Reebok sponsorship).

In September, at UFC 203, Stipe successfully defended his belt, sending Alistair Overeem to bed. Unsurprisingly, the fight earned the champion the biggest purse of his career, $690,000 ($600,000 to enter the cage, $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus, and $40,000 Reebok sponsorship).

10. Mark Hunt (12-11-1) - $930,000

The top ten is completed by 42-year-old heavyweight Mark Hunt. At UFC Fight Night 85 in March, he once again demonstrated his lethal striking power, shutting out Frankie Mir three minutes into the fight. Mark's winning fee was $220,000 ($160,000 to enter the cage, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus and $10,000 from Reebok).

At the UFC 200 anniversary show in July, Hunt lost to Brock Lesnar, who had returned after a long break, and who, as you know, failed two doping tests after the fight. Due to Lesnar's dishonest play and the fact that USADA made an exception for him, testing him before the fight for only a month, instead of the required four, Hunt, after the publication of the test results, burst into abuse at the bosses of the promotion. Be that as it may, “The Super Samoan” received $710,000 for his fight in the co-main event of UFC 200 ($700,000 for entering the cage and $10,000 from Reebok).

Fabricio Werdum is one of the many representatives of the Brazilian MMA school. His nickname Vai Cavalo is translated from Portuguese as “forward, horse.” He was born on July 30, 1977 in Porto Allegri in Brazil, but currently lives in San Jose, America, where he trains at Kings MMA. Fabricio's fighting background is Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai.

Werdum earned his championship belt in the summer of 2015. On June 13, as part of the UFC 188 tournament, he met with Cain Velasquez, who at that time held the title. The Brazilian dominated throughout the fight and eventually caught his opponent in a guillotine in the third round. In February 2016, he was supposed to meet Velasquez in a rematch, but his opponent pulled out of the fight due to injury. Next exit Werdum is scheduled to enter the Octagon on May 14, 2016 as part of the UFC 198 show. During the first defense, Fabricio’s opponent will be top contender Stipe Miocic.

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier was born on March 20, 1979 in the American city of Lafayette. He currently resides in San Jose and trains at the American Kickboxing Academy. His background is freestyle wrestling and kickboxing. In addition, Daniel boasts a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Cormier's main problem at the moment is that many do not consider him a true champion. Best UFC fighter Regardless of the weight categories, Jon Jones, as a title holder, met with Daniel and won. Jones later got into trouble with the law, causing the promotion to take the belt from him. The latter was soon played out by Cormier and Anthony Johnson. On May 23, 2015, at UFC 187, Cormier defeated Johnson and sat on the throne light heavyweight, after which he made his first title defense in a battle with Alexander Gustafsson. The long-awaited rematch with Jon Jones will take place on April 23, 2016 as part of the UFC 197 tournament.

UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold

Luke Rockhold was born on October 17, 1984 in Santa Cruz, California, is a citizen of the United States of America and trains with Daniel Cormier at the American Kickboxing Academy. He has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but in addition to this type of martial arts, he is well acquainted with kickboxing and freestyle wrestling.

Rockhold won the UFC championship belt relatively recently, when he defeated the previously undefeated Chris Weidman in dominant style. Initially, the battle, which took place as part of the co-main event of the UFC 194 show, proceeded to the accompaniment of attacks current champion, but later Rockhold managed to seize the initiative due to the fact that he retained more strength. He pinned Weidman to the ground and began beating his helpless opponent until the match was stopped by the referee. Despite the fact that Rokhkold had a serious advantage during the fight, the promotion bosses scheduled an immediate rematch, which will take place on June 4, 2016 at the UFC 199 show.

UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler

Robbie Lawler is one of the most courageous UFC champions. This guy was born in San Diego on March 20, 1982, and currently lives in Coconut Creek and trains at the American Top Team fight club. The fighter came to mixed martial arts from karate, and often his fights take place in a stand-up position and are nominated for the title of the best battles of the year.

He earned the UFC welterweight title on December 6, 2014 in a confrontation with Johny Hendricks. The Ruthless (Lawler's nickname) won the game as a result of a split decision of the judges. Since then, Robbie has made two defenses of his title. First, at UFC 189, he defeated Rory MacDonald by TKO, after which he will meet Carlos Condit at UFC 195, which took place on January 2, 2016. It is still unknown who Lawler's next opponent will be.

UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos

Rafael dos Anjos was born on October 26, 1984 in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is where he currently resides, training under Rafael Cordeiro at Kings MMA. The basis of a fighter's combat operations is Thai boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Rafael dos Anjos became the champion following the title battle with Anthony Pettis. On March 15, 2015, at UFC 185, Rafael won thanks to a unanimous decision of the judges. In December 2015, he made his first defense of the belt against Donald Cerrone. While many expected this fight to be a competitive battle, dos Anjos showed in the first seconds of the opening round that he would not give Cowboy a chance, destroying him by technical knockout. The fighter's next appearance in the cage was scheduled for March 5, 2016. Rafal had to defend his belt from the attacks of UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor. However, the Brazilian broke his leg and withdrew from the fight.

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor is one of the most popular figures in the world of mixed martial arts. In addition, he brings the UFC the greatest income, and therefore enjoys leniency from the promotion’s management. The fighter was born on July 14, 1988 in Dublin, Ireland, where he currently lives. His background is diverse: karate, taekwondo, boxing and even capoeira. In addition, Conor has a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, but has not yet proven that he can be called successful in this type of martial arts.

McGregor has long attracted the attention of the whole world to his person, although he took possession of the championship belt relatively recently. It took him only 13 seconds to dethrone former title holder, Brazilian Jose Aldo. The exact gift of the jaw raised the Irishman's fame to even greater heights, and disgraced former champion. In his next fight, McGregor was supposed to fight for a second belt against lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, but the latter was injured and withdrew from the fight. His replacement, Nate Diaz, caught “golden boy” Dana White in a submission in the second round. It is still unknown who Notorious will fight with now, but a lot says that his opponent will again be Jose Aldo.

UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz

Dominick Cruz is another representative of the American school of mixed martial arts. Dominator was born on September 3, 1985 in Tucson, Arizona. Currently, his place of residence is the Californian city of Chula Vista. This guy trains with the Alliance MMA team, and his basic techniques MMA includes boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling.

Dominick Cruz has only lost once in his long career and is one of only two men to have defeated a reigning title holder in the world. bantamweight Demetrius Johnson. However, injuries prevented Dominque from fully revealing his talents. On July 7, 2012, Cruz was supposed to fight with Uriah Faber, but this fight did not take place because Dominic suffered a cruciate ligament injury. A series of injuries kept him out of the octagon until the fall of 2014, when he met with Takeya Mizugaki and won, and then went into downtime again due to further health problems. On January 7, 2016, the fighter triumphantly returned to the UFC, taking the belt from then-champion TJ Dillashaw. Mine next fight Cruz will fight against Urij Faber again at UFC 199 on June 4, 2016.

UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson

Last year was very rich in changes in the elite of the most popular mixed style fighting organization. Only Demetrius Johnson managed to retain the championship title, while new kings and queens appeared in all other divisions. We will talk about new challenges from past and present champions in 2016.

Flyweight. Women

In 2015, Joanna Jedrzejczyk managed to take the championship title from Carla Esparza and defend it twice, defeating Jessica Penne and Valerie Letourneau. In the battle with the latter, by the way, the representative of Poland established new record by the number of kicks delivered (70!) and this with 220 accented punches. One way or another, Jedrzejczyk’s next opponent will have a very difficult time. As much as we would like to see Marina Moroz as a contender, most likely the next contender will be Claudia Gadelha, who lost to the Polish woman by split decision in 2014. In the future there is also a rematch with Carla Esparza and extremely interesting confrontation with Rose Namajunas, who really ruined Paige Vanzant's face.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk – Claudia Gadelha

Joanna Jedrzejczyk – Carla Esparza

Joanna Jedrzejczyk – Rose Namajunas

Bantamweight. Women

According to latest news, the rematch between Holly Holm and Ronda Rousey has been postponed. Apparently, the latter requires much more time for recovery, physical and psychological, than expected. The once most dominant champion in MMA was happily replaced by Miesha Tate, who currently has a streak of four wins in a row. As it became known, Rousey will not compete in the 200 tournament in July, which gives a chance to quickly get to title fight Amanda Nunes or Julianne Peña. In addition, the native of Bishkek, Valentina Shevchenko, who is one step away from the top ten, deserves attention; in the event of another beautiful victory, she can easily get a fight with any of the division leaders.

Flyweight. Men

Demetrious Johnson has already beaten everyone. Of course, the division is replenished with new fighters, but, having two convincing victories over the main contenders in Joseph Benavidez and John Dodson, Mighty Mouse at the very least he can count on a spot in the Hall of Fame and a super fight with the bantamweight champion. However, he is in no hurry to force things and, according to rumors, is preparing for the 10th (!) title defense against Henry Cejudo. After the high-profile defeats of 2015, failure can be expected from any fighter, but interesting options for the lightest champion could be Jussier Formiga and, of course, Ali Bagautinov, who, hopefully, will be able to recover and achieve the right to revenge.

Demetrius Johnson - Henry Cejudo

Demetrius Johnson – Ali Bagautinov

Bantamweight. Men

Of course, the most anticipated event in this division is the return of Dominick Cruz, who has finally managed to heal from injury. True, sometimes you want to knock on wood so as not to jinx it, even if there is less than a week left before the fight. The Dominator’s opponent will be current champion TJ Dillashaw, who “destroyed” Renan Baran twice. The fate of the Brazilian remains unclear: problems with weight loss may force him to move to the featherweight category, however, the final answer has not yet come.

Renan Baran – ?

Feather-weight. Men

Connor McGregor – Frankie Edgar

A light weight. Men

As noted above, Rafael dos Anjos could face Connor McGregor. At the same time, the Brazilian has plenty of rivals in his weight class. First of all, this is the winner of the Anthony Pettis – Eddie Alvarez fight. For some time, these fighters sharply lost their positions: Pettis lost the title, and Alvarez failed his debut in the organization. However, reputation and quality of performances turned out to be more important than dry numbers in the record. It should be noted that this fight became a contender’s only in the absence of Khabib Nurmagomedov, who will most likely return in the summer. Depending on the current situation, the Dagestan Eagle can hold either an intermediate fight, for example, with Cerrone, or immediately compete for the belt.

Welterweight. Men

Robbie Lawler started the year with a rather controversial victory over Carlos Condit, but somehow retained the title. Although Dana White is unlikely to give the latter a second chance, a rematch could be very interesting to the general public. Still, Johny Hendricks, who will face Stephen Thompson on February 6, and Tyron Woodley, who recently defeated Kelvin Gastelum, appear to be more likely contenders. With a positive set of circumstances, Albert Tumenov may also reach the title fight by the end of the year, but we will find out about this later.

Robbie Lawler – Carlos Condit

Robbie Lawler – Johny Hendrix

Robbie Lawler – Tyron Woodley

Average weight. Men

The main event in this weight category will undoubtedly be the return of Anderson Silva, who will face Michael Bisping on February 27th. Whether Viagra or something else was that banned substance, few people care anymore, but the Spider’s prospect of regaining the title can rival in resonance the defeats of Velasquez and Rousey. This prospect, however, will open only in the event of victory and the subsequent absence of claims from anti-doping agency. At the same time, the confirmed contender for the title, Yoel Romero, was in the sights of the “hunters” of lovers of prohibited substances. Today we are talking only about suspicions, but if they are confirmed, Ronaldo Souza may go to a meeting with Luke Rockhold. If a quick solution to this situation is not found, Chris Weidman may get his chance for immediate revenge.

Anderson Silva – Michael Bisping

Luke Rockhold - Chris Weidman

Luke Rockhold – Yoel Romero/Ronaldo Souza

Light heavyweight. Men

A sensation is also expected in the light heavyweights: Jon Jones intends to return to the cage. True, photo reports from his training raise doubts as to whether he will remain at his weight or move to the heavy division. Obviously, an athlete of Jon Jones’ caliber can immediately get a title fight and once again test Daniel Cormier’s strength. It’s more difficult to talk about Black Fedor’s other opponents: Anthony Johnson will meet Ryan Bader on January 30, and Alexander Gustafsson gave good fight champion, but he shouldn’t count on a quick revenge.

Daniel Cormier - Jon Jones

Heavy weight. Men

Currently, fans around the world are waiting for the second fight between Fabrice Werdum and Cain Velasquez. The Mexican is expected to undergo a complete transformation in more familiar climatic conditions, but the Brazilian should by no means be written off, because he, too, will breathe easier. Meanwhile, passions are also running high in the immediate vicinity of the title fight. Alistair Overem returned to his previous condition after knocking out Junior dos Santos, and Stipe Miocic only confirmed his championship claims confident victory over Andrei Orlovsky. Both Miocic and Overem can safely come on as substitutes if one of the champion pair is injured, although the audience would be happy to see them meet in person.

Fabrice Werdum – Cain Velasquez

Alistair Overem - heavyweight champion

Stipe Miocic is the heavyweight champion.