The UFC is the most popular MMA promotion on the planet. However, despite its massive success, the organization has been under scrutiny by experts due to issues regarding fighter pay. The UFC differs from other major sports leagues like the NBA and NFL in its revenue-sharing model. While other leagues offer athletes a 50% split of the revenue, the UFC has been reported to share only 13-15% with the fighters.

The disparity in compensation has led to the UFC facing an anti-trust lawsuit, led by former fighters like Jon Fitch and Cung Le. And with the lawsuit granted ‘class certification’ by legal authorities, new documents have come to light that hold clues about fighter pay in the organization. The expert report contains strong indicators of fighter pay for stars like Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, and Ronda Rousey. Let’s take a look at the reported payouts for UFC stars.

Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, and Jon Jones’s UFC income revealed

An antitrust expert named Robert Blair prepared a report at the request of Zuffa’s defense attorneys. This report aimed to counter opposing experts hired by a group of fighters suing the organization for anti-competitive practices spanning 2011-2016. The lawsuit is set for trial in April.

The report’s appendix contains a table detailing “internal Zuffa bout compensation”. This table lists compensation, year, and the number of fighters receiving it for their UFC fights. It doesn’t mention specific fighter names, making it impossible to identify them solely from the report.

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Nevertheless, when compared with recorded data, fighter interviews, and other sources related to the antitrust case, it strongly hints at the highest earners in the UFC, primarily the top-tier stars.

Here are some of the largest payouts deduced from the reports:

Conor McGregor at UFC 205: $6,812,374

Ronda Rousey at UFC 168: $1,817,907

Jon Jones at UFC 182: $3,637,500

Anderson Silva at UFC 168: $4,374,326

CM Punk was paid more than a UFC legend

One of the more surprising figures in the report was regarding CM Punk. The former WWE star had decided to cross over into MMA in 2014. He signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC which saw him compete twice for the promotion.

In his debut against Mickey Gall at UFC 203, Punk only managed to survive inside the Octagon for 2 minutes and 14 seconds. He was forced to tap out by Gall and lost the fight due to a submission.

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Now, with the numbers for his fight being made public, fans will be interested to know how much money the professional wrestler made for his brief Octagon appearance.

According to a report by BloodyElbow, CM Punk received $1,042,736 for his fight at UFC 203. The numbers are staggering when you consider that BJ Penn, a UFC legend, made just $475,000 for his fight at UFC 137!

The lawsuit is set to go to trial in April. And fans will be looking forward to seeing if UFC fighters can secure fair compensation for the hardships they endure for the sport.

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