25 Highest Earning Fighters of All Time

25 - Jon Jones ($32 Million+ in MMA)

Jon Jones is definitely among the GOATs of MMA. For more than a decade, Jones reigned as a superstar for Dana White's promotion. This level of success in the sport has helped 'Bones' earn over $30 million in his career, with his last outing at UFC 309 earning him more than $10 million.

24 - Anderson Silva ($35 Million+ in MMA and Boxing)

Anderson Silva holds the longest undefeated streak in the UFC. Known for title fight finishes, this helped the Brazilian legend earn more around $35 million in his career. His $1.5 million pay check for the professional boxing bout against Jake Paul is one of his recent big pay days.

23 - Alistair Overeem ($38 Million+ in MMA and Kickboxing)

Alistair Overeem is one of the few fighters to have a successful career in kickboxing as well as mixed martial arts. He is also a noteworthy name in MMA to never win the UFC gold. As such, he has amassed over $38 million in a career that spanned over two decades.

22 - Khabib Nurmagomedov ($40 Million+ in MMA)

Khabib Nurmagomedov is the only prominent MMA fighter who has retired with an undefeated professional record. During his peak, he was a top name in the UFC, headlining the monumental UFC 229 PPV against Conor McGregor. Nurmagomedov earned nearly $40 million from his MMA career.

21 - Andre Ward ($80 Million+ in Boxing)

Andre Ward retired undefeated with a perfect 32-0 record and won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics and captured unified world titles in both the super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. As such, he was always among the highest paid boxers in his era before eventually retiring in 2017 and earned over $80 Million.

20 - Amir Khan ($85 Million+ in Boxing)

Amir Khan had a lucrative professional boxing career with 40 professional bouts from 2005 to 2022. He is one of Britain's most popular boxers in the early 2010s. As such, he is among the highest-paid boxers, with total career earnings, including fight purses and other deals, believed to be around $85 million.

19 - Brock Lesnar ($90 Million+ in MMA and WWE)

Brock Lesnar has amassed more than $90 million from his career in the UFC and the WWE. He was a box-office phenomenon during his time in the UFC and continues to make upward of $10 million per year in the WWE nowadays.

18 - Shane Mosley ($90 Million+ in Boxing)

"Sugar" Shane Mosley had a highly successful career from 1993 to 2016. His largest single-fight purse was a reported $7 million for his 2010 bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr. After competing in over 61 professional bouts, the former world champion has earned over $90 Million.

17 - Bernard Hopkins ($95 Million+ in Boxing)

Bernard Hopkins earned millions throughout his long career, with total boxing earnings estimated to be over $95 million. His biggest single payday was $10 million for his 2004 victory over Oscar De La Hoya. The American boxer competed in 67 professional bouts that added significantly to his earnings.

16 - Julio Cesar Chavez ($100 Million+ in Boxing)

Julio Cesar Chavez had a long and dominant career, earning major fight purses from 115 professional bouts. Chavez is among the few high-level boxers who did compete in over 100 professional bouts. His highest known purse was $5 million for his 1993 bout against Pernell Whitaker. He fought over a span of 25 years, winning multiple world championships.

15 - Deontay Wilder ($125 Million+ in Boxing)

Deontay Wilder amassed considerable wealth from his heavyweight career. His highest paydays came from the Tyson Fury trilogy, where he earned tens of millions of dollars per fight, contributing to estimated career earnings over $125 million.

14 - Wladimir Klitschko ($175 Million+ in Boxing)

Wladimir Klitschko earned an estimated over $175 million throughout his dominant heavyweight career, which consists of 64 victories from 69 professional bouts. His biggest paydays came late in his reign, particularly from the Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua fights that acted as a passing of the torch moment in heavyweight boxing.

13 - Gennady Golovkin ($180 Million+ in Boxing)

Gennady Golovkin's Canelo trilogy brought him his biggest paydays with guaranteed purses. Additionally, "GGG" signed a lucrative $100 million deal for six fights with DAZN in 2018. Eventually before calling it a day, "GGG" earned over $180 million from his 16 year long career.

12 - Conor McGregor ($200 Million+ in MMA and Boxing)

Conor McGregor is one of combat sports' highest earners. His boxing match with Floyd Mayweather earned him an estimated $130 million. The Irishman is also the biggest superstar in UFC history, selling the most PPVs by a mile. As such, he has earned north of $200 million from his boxing and MMA bouts.

11 - Sugar Ray Leonard ($200 Million+ in Boxing)

Sugar Ray Leonard became the first boxer in history to earn over $100 million in purses. His major paydays came from fights against fellow legends like Roberto Durán, Thomas Hearns, and Marvin Hagler, solidifying his financial legacy in the sport. After multiple high-profile bouts, the boxing legend earned over $200 million from his career.

10 - Evander Holyfield ($230 Million+ in Boxing)

Evander Holyfield earned over $230 million throughout his iconic career spanning 57 professional fights. He won the Heavyweight Championship four times in his career. His $35 million purse from the infamous 1997 "Bite Fight" rematch against Mike Tyson was the biggest payday of his career.

9- Anthony Joshua ($250 Million+ in Boxing)

Anthony Joshua is a modern day boxing superstar, and has surpassed $250 million in fight purses from 32 professional bouts. His biggest purse is an estimated $88.5 million for his 2019 rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr., come from his massive pay-per-view appeal and lucrative deals in Saudi Arabia.

8 - Lennox Lewis ($265 Million+ in Boxing)

Lennox Lewis is arguably the GOAT of the heavyweight division in boxing after destroying everyone who stood across from him. His 2002 bout against Mike Tyson was his biggest payday, netting him roughly $50 million from the guaranteed purse and PPV bonuses. Overall, he earned over $265 million from 44 professional boxing bouts.

7 - Oleksandr Usyk ($280 Million+ in Boxing)

Oleksandr Usyk's career earnings have skyrocketed since moving to the heavyweight division. He reportedly earned over $200 millions from his major fights against Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, with his purses now placing him among boxing's highest-paid athletes. Overall, he has earned over $280 million and could cross the $300 million mark in his next bout.

6 - Tyson Fury ($320 Million+ in Boxing)

Tyson Fury's mega-fights against Deontay Wilder, Francis Ngannou, and Oleksandr Usyk are among his biggest paydays. His first fight against Usyk earned him over $100 million. He is among the greatest heavyweight fighters to emerge from Britain and has earned over $320 million from his career.

5 - Oscar De La Hoya ($500 Million+ in Boxing)

Oscar De La Hoya was a major PPV attraction of his time, becoming one of the top earners of his era. His largest single purse was an estimated $52 million for his 2007 fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. His overall career earnings are thought to be upwards of $500 million from a career spanning 45 professional bouts.

4 - Canelo Alvarez ($600 Million+ in Boxing)

Canelo Álvarez is one of boxing's highest-paid stars, with career earnings estimated to exceed $600 million from fight purses. His $400 million deal with Riyadh Season is one of the biggest contracts ever seen in combat sports. The Mexican superstar pocketed over $100 million in his Netflix superfight against Terence Crawford.

3 - Mike Tyson ($650 Million+ in Boxing)

Mike Tyson earned over $650 million in fight purses during his boxing career, with a record $103 million for his 2002 fight against Lennox Lewis. In recent times, he has returned to the sport with $20 million payday against Jake Paul.

2 - Manny Pacquaio ($750 Million+ in Boxing)

Manny Pacquiao earned around $750 million during his illustrious career, making him one of boxing's highest earners. His biggest payday was the 2015 "Fight of the Century" against Floyd Mayweather Jr., which reportedly earned him around $130 million. High-profile bouts against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton also earned him huge paydays.

1 - Floyd Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather remains the undisputed king of money in combat sports. After all, he is the only athlete to have surpassed $1 billion in fight purses. His massive wealth came from smart promotion, record-breaking PPV sales and live gate. His top payouts were an estimated $250 million versus Manny Pacquiao and $275 million against Conor McGregor.