5 UFC stars who earned their fortunes outside the octagon
The UFC has historically been infamous for giving only a small share of its revenue to its fighters. While a few top-tier fighters have made big bucks riding on their superstar images, it is not the case for others. When we speak about lower-rung fighters, there are alternate careers and GoFundMe pages that have managed to keep them from going bankrupt.
While the situation has changed a bit in recent years, with UFC stars earning millions in a single fight, they're still poorer than mainstream sports' top athletes. Therefore, it is natural for them to look for a source of income outside the MMA promotion. Boxing is one big avenue where UFC stars have found a safe haven to earn the riches that MMA is often unable to provide them with.
On that note, here's a look at five UFC stars who earned their fortunes outside the octagon.
#5 Ben Askren earned $500,000 after leaving the UFC
Ben Askren was a highly accomplished wrestler before beginning his MMA career. Apart from being an Olympian, Askren was a Pan-American champion and a two-time NCAA Division I All-American champion. His wrestling career is practically impossible to emulate.
He began his MMA career in 2009, and remained undefeated until the very end, having fought in several promotions like ONE, Bellator and the UFC. While his earnings at ONE FC and Bellator haven't been disclosed, Ben Askren earned $830,500 during his short stay at the UFC despite going 1-2.
He was the welterweight champion at ONE FC and Bellator, but his earnings there weren't much. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, he revealed he was offered $50,000 for show and $50,000 to win on his ONE FC debut.
Ben Askren earned a fortune, though, after leaving the UFC. After losing back-to-back fights against Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia at the UFC, he announced his retirement from MMA in 2019.
Two years later, he faced YouTuber Jake Paul in a boxing bout, and lost via TKO. However, he did win financially, earning $500,000 straight for the Triller fight. Compared to his career earnings he gathered over a decade in MMA, bagging up half a million to get knocked out in a few seconds is nothing less than a fortune.