Top 5 earners in the UFC in 2016

The Reem has a bank account as impressive as his muscles

Mixed Martial Arts has become the fastest-growing sport on the planet and with this tag comes an influx of massive amounts of cash. When WME-IMG bought the number one promotion in the sport – the UFC – for $4.2 billion, everyone knew that MMA was here to stay.

With the incredible amount of money being pumped into the sport, it’s only natural that fighters look to take advantage of the rising popularity to improve their own financial status. Throughout the board, fighter salaries have gone up in 2016 but some very obviously did better than others.

As PPV sales reached a record high and sponsorship deals went through the roof, we take a look at the 5 MMA fighters who earned the most amount of money in 2016.

Note: Only fight salaries have been considered for this list and not PPV bonuses, sponsorship deals, etc.

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#5 Alistair Overeem – $1,884,500

 

Despite the loss, it was a great year for Overeem

Alistair “The Reem” Overeem is one of the true legends of the MMA world, having been fighting around the globe since 1999 and in the United States of America since 2006. The Dutch fighter comes in at number 5 on this list having made a whopping $1.85 million in 2016 alone.

A large part of this is thanks to a bumper contract he signed with the UFC in Feb 2016. He had two fights over the course of the year. The first was an impressive TKO victory over Andrei Arlovski on a UFC Fight Night which earned him a Performance of the Night.

The second fight didn’t go as well, though, as he was finished off by defending Heavyweight Champion, Stipe Miocic, in a title bout at UFC 203. Regardless of that loss, The Reem had an excellent year financially. and will be looking to start 2017 off on the right foot with his upcoming fight against Mark Hunt at UFC 209.