5 MMA fighters who have had successful business careers
MMA is a violent sport, offering its athletes a short career before injuries, age, and the evolution of the game come together to boot them from competition. Someone bigger and better is always on the horizon, watching footage of the greats of today to turn them into the icons of yesteryear.
Thus, fighters have very short windows to make as much money as possible before nature takes its course. For this reason, many mixed martial artists find alternate streams of income, parlaying their fame as fighting sensations into lucrative businesses that can support them for the rest of their lives.
While many try, few succeed. But there are those who have, and they're often from the UFC, where the biggest platform in the sport is given to its fighters.
#5. Eliot Marshall, ex-MMA light heavyweight
The name Eliot Marshall likely flies over the head of most MMA fans today, even though he was once a UFC light heavyweight. Marshall featured on 'The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir,' where he was part of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir's team, but failed to win the finale.
After returning to the promotion and authoring an unremarkable 10-4 run as a fighter, he retired from the sport. Directionless, he opted to pour his decades of martial arts experience into teaching, opening several martial arts schools under the name of the Easton Training Center: a beacon of his entrepreneurial spirit.
Marshall's schools offer training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, MMA, kickboxing, and more, operating in various cities in Colorado. The success of his business was such that his services have been enlisted by noteworthy UFC fighters like Alistair Overeem and retired ex-bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw.
#4. Dustin Poirier, MMA featherweight/lightweight
Dustin Poirier is one of the greatest lightweights of all time, and in the argument for the best fighter to have never won an undisputed UFC title. In the wake of his recent failure to capture undisputed UFC lightweight gold at UFC 302, 'The Diamond' considered retirement.
He spoke about not needing to fight for the sake of fighting or for the money, the latter of which he owes to his successful business ventures. Back in 2020, 'The Diamond' launched Poirier's Louisiana Style Hot Sauce, which has since gone on to find tremendous success.
Check out Dustin Poirier promoting his hot sauce:
However, that isn't the only business venture Poirier engaged in. He, like many in MMA, also entered the alcohol brewing business, releasing Rare Stash, his brand of bourbon.
#3. Jorge Masvidal, ex-MMA lightweight/welterweight
Despite spending most of his career as a journeyman, Jorge Masvidal was a bonafide star by the end. He was the first-ever 'BMF' champion and had one of the best years a fighter could dream of in 2019. Unfortunately, he reached his competitive ceiling against top-level foes and retired after a four-fight losing streak.
Masvidal managed to parlay his popularity in numerous ways, becoming a successful businessman. First, he launched his own alcoholic beverage, a mezcal brand by the name of El Recuerdo de Oaxaca Joven. Furthermore, he became a combat sports promoter.
He founded a bare-knuckle MMA promotion called Gamebred Fighting Championship, which has even featured former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos. 'Gamebred' also founded a second promotion, iKON FC.
#2. Khabib Nurmagomedov, ex-MMA lightweight
Unbeaten MMA legend and former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the most dominant fighters in the sport's history. Following his stunning retirement as an active fighter, 'The Eagle' went on to become a combat sports promoter.
He launched Eagle FC, signing the likes of ex-UFC interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee and UFC Hall of Famer Diego Sanchez. However, that isn't the extent of his dealings as a businessman. For one, he serves as a brand ambassador for Toyota in the Russian market.
He has also worked with Fitro, a sports nutrition brand, to launch products under his name. On the topic of food, Nurmagomedov also owns a chain of restaurants called M-Eat, having opened it in Moscow and the Kazakhstani capital of Almaty.
#1. Conor McGregor, MMA featherweight/lightweight
Conor McGregor is the most successful MMA fighter of all time and among the wealthiest in combat sports as a whole. The Irishman is the UFC's first-ever simultaneous two-division champion, having held the promotion's featherweight and lightweight titles in inimitable fashion.
While he hasn't retired from competition and is still working way his to a comeback, he has become a wildly successful businessman with countless business ventures. First, he has his luxury clothing line, August McGregor, after partnering with tailoring brand David August.
He has also become a minority owner in BKFC. Easily his most famous business venture, though, is Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey, which he made so successful that he was able to sell his majority stake in the company for $600 million. Other ventures include his Forged Irish Stout and Black Forge Inn.