MMA

From small change to millions. What kind of paydays did Khabib Nurmagomedov have in the UFC?

Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the biggest icons of the UFC and certainly one of the best fighters to have ever competed in the biggest MMA organization on the planet. Thanks to his performances, he has managed to make some very nice money. But he had to earn it.

Published

8 months ago

5. 11. 2023

Pavel Langr

Paydays in MMA have long been a target of criticism. Even in the famous UFC organization, where only a select few really make the big bucks. New fighters often have terrible conditions and have to fight for their place in the sun.

This was not the case for one of the biggest icons in the history of the organization. Even Khabib Nurmagomedov has had a thorny road to travel.

UFC paydays are not a matter of public record. But there have been leaks in the last week. Thanks to that, the public was able to learn just how the undefeated Dagestani was doing during his career.

It is speculated that the leaks were due to the recent court hearings the UFC has been going through. Not all of the leaked information can be trusted. However, the media and the public agree that in the case of the former lightweight champion’s payouts, the numbers seem believable.

Khabib had 13 fights in the UFC, all of which he won. However, he would have only gotten pennies for the first one if it weren’t for various bonuses. His base pay for the fight was set at $14,000.

He got the same amount as a win bonus. Combined with the performance bonus and the sponsors’ income, his earnings in the first fight came to $45,200.

Khabib made a king’s money

It took five years for Khabib Nurmagomedov to earn over $100k in base pay from the UFC alone for the first time ever, without any bonuses for a fight. His seventh fight in the organization with Al Iaquinta earned him $500,000 right away. He already had a cut of PPV sales thanks to the title fight.

While his previous bout with Edson Barboza came in at $215k with all the bonuses, he came in at $680k for the Iaquinta fight, according to leaked information. And that was just the beginning of the spectacular ending.

In fact, in the last three fights, Khabib has come in for over $6.6 million in all, which is already money that is definitely worth fighting for.

If anyone was expecting Nurmagomedov to make the most money for his fight with Conor McGregor, they’d be wrong. However, it was the heated duel with the Irishman that catapulted Khabib’s paydays into another dimension.