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UFC likes to brag about all its billions.
The promotion recently inked a monster deal with Paramount+ and company stooges like Daniel Cormier claim the end of pay-per-view (PPV) will somehow help fighters make more money. Enough to crack the Top 100 of Sportico’s annual list of highest-paid athletes?
Probably not, if history is any indication of what’s to come.
Not a single UFC or MMA fighter was able to make the 2025 list, which includes big-name boxers like Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford, among others. Even celebrity pugilist Jake Paul found a spot on Sportico’s chart, tying Neymar at No. 30 with a reported $60 million in total income.
Here’s are the Top 10 highest-paid athletes of 2025 (salary plus endorsements):
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (soccer) $260M
2. Canelo Alvarez (boxing) $137M
3. Lionel Messi (soccer) $130M
4. Juan Soto (baseball) $129.2M
5. LeBron James (basketball) $128.7M
6. Karim Benzema (soccer) $115M
7. Stephen Curry (basketball) $105.4M
8. Shohei Ohtani (baseball) $102.5M
9. Kevin Durant (basketball) $100.8M
10. Jon Rahm (golf) $100.7M
See the complete Top 100 highest-paid athletes here.
The last time a UFC fighter made the cut was 2022 when former lightweight champion Conor McGregor bagged $32 million in salary and another $20 million from endorsements to land at No. 22 with $52 million. But with McGregor on the sidelines since 2021, no other UFC fighter has been able to replace his star power.
And in this sport, you eat what you kill.
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