UFC fighters make money, but not as much as you might think

I was reading some news of late about upcoming UFC matches when I ran across something that I thought was interesting. How much do the UFC fighters actually make in each bout?

Now it’s not as much as you might imagine. Though the UFC is 10 years old now, it only recently started to get television deals. With the surge in popularity has come increased revenues, but also an increase in fees.

Notably there is the split with the pay-per-view carriers, and/or broadcaster. That takes a hefty clip out right there. And there is now news that the states where the programs orignate from are looking to take a cut too.

“A little birdie says Ultimate Fighting Championship officials weren't pleased about the 10 percent tax on their show that drew 15,082 to Target Center on Saturday”

10% off the top and possibly as much as 50% to pay-per-view really cuts out the profits. I don’t even think boxing has such extreme cuts.

But the remaining amounts get a bit better. The final cut that is awarded to the fighters depends on if they win or lose, and if they have structured their contracts to be weighted more on their ability to win. So the final numbers work out to about 29% up to 50% of the net goes to the fighters. That is all the fighters as a group. Which is a very good payout and greater than any comparable sport.

Now the individual fighter may not make all that much. Like any other sport, especially the WWE, the more popular the fighter the bigger the payday. On the lowest rung fighters tend to make about $2,000. At the top the winning fighter can make as much as $175,000 a match.

Now that isn’t prize fights in boxing, nor even the base salary for a lineman in NFL football. Then again that is per match, and far more than working as a fast food cashier. But if the sport gains more attention as it seems to be doing then we can expect to see a lot of loyalty from the fighters and more than just a few hoping to join their ranks.

So if you were wondering how much they make and if it matches their fame, now you know.