The 10 highest-paid fighters of all time in boxing & UFC have been named and compared

Boxing is widely well-known as the top dog when it comes to fighting sports.

It’s been that way for as long as many can remember, yet, in the last decade there has been a slow and gradual turn towards MMA, in particular, Dana White‘s UFC.

So that begs the question of who earns more, UFC or boxing stars?

Obviously there is a huge difference between the amounts paid to boxers who are just starting out compared with those who are main eventing for world titles. Some at the start only receive a few hundred dollars compared to millions by the big names who earn more based on pay-per-view buys and TV coverage.

The average salary of a boxer, according to Way of Martial Arts, excluding the extortionate fees of the mega stars, is between $22,000 and $51,370 a year.

As you’ll see below, the names who’ve earned the most in history are huge.

There is also a remarkably steep increase in fees between the sixth and seventh highest-paid performers. Vitali Klitschko received $65 million, while it’s almost double that for the next highest earner Ray Charles Leonard with $120 million respectively.

Also, Floyd Mayweather leaves everyone in the dust by earning $240 million more than his second place counterpart George Foreman.

Top 10 Highest-Paid Boxers in History:

MMA, on the other hand, has been on the up and up. This has been fronted by the insane rise in popularity of the UFC in recent times.

It’s important to note that while MMA may still be chasing boxing overall, lesser-known fighters earn more in the UFC than up and coming boxers.

In the past, the majority of income for a UFC fighter came from the paycheques themselves, but, along with the changes in popularity, there are many other ways for a fighter to make money.

Finances