Boxing vs MMA
How To Make Money Fighting Mma Fights
Most fighters get a large portion of their money from a salary paid by the UFC. This salary often gets paid out fight-by-fight, and is open to negotiation, depending on the fighter's performance. Rookie fighters often make significantly less than their more famous counterparts.
Despite professional boxers currently earning significantly more than MMA fighters, this doesn't necessarily mean that the lower level boxers are still bathing in this huge wage gap. On top of this, many have predicted that in the near future MMA may begin to edge closer to boxing in popularity, and then consequentially pay more to their fighters.
- To make money in this league, you are obviously expected to be in great shape and spend a lot of time in the gym training, otherwise you would just get walked over in all your fights. The salary of the beginning pro's is expected to rise by 7% by 2026, with the current median salary at around $26,115, with the lowest 10% only earning $19,000.
- MMA Fighter – Money through Advertising Apart from fighting, MMA fighters can also make money advertising. To make money through advertising the fighter has to be the best of the best., like a movie superstar, he has to have a huge fan following. Conor McGregor acts as an advertising model for Burger King.
But for now, take a look at a detailed overview of the payment boxers and MMA fighters receive, ranging from the amateurs to the full-fledged superstars. Make sure you stick around 'till the end to see a comparison of the two as-well.
Boxing
Superstars
The gruelling life of a boxer involves a lot more training and preparing for a fight than the actual winning part. Most of the time, you are going hard in the gym, trying to push yourself to the edge to make sure you can take on your next opponent.
To get to the top you'll need to have years of experience and be able to self-motivate yourself all-day everyday.
To start off with the few superstars, people like Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury will bank around $60 million for a successful fight, as seen through AJ's winnings against Ruiz.
If you were to lose a fight of that calibre, you would still be getting quite the pay-day, walking away with roughly $25 million. If you are still a professional but don't happen to be having some of the biggest fights in history, you can still expect some good money as long as you have a good manager.
This money comes through sponsorships, social media and obviously your fights, with the average well-known boxer earning around $23 million each calendar year. If you want to achieve these pretty hard to reach goals, it requires years of training at the amateur level to build up your career and a ludicrous amount of hard work. Boxing superstardom isn't for the quaint.
When possible, we will first refund all deposits made in the last 90 days. Any excess funds after refundable deposits have been fulfilled are delivered via the selected withdrawal method (PayPal or check) If a card used to deposit is expired, refundable deposits will be returned to your new card as long as the account numbers are the same. I received a 1099-Misc of $5,661 from FanDuel and have filed that on my tax return. On Draftkings, I had a yearly loss of $1,300. Can I offset these fantasy sports sites? Draftkings 1099 misc.
Professionals
For the boxers who haven't quite reached major fame yet, but are still managing to earn a living off of boxing and have several high-quality fights each year, they are simply known as professionals.
Don't be fooled by the step-down, being a boxer on this levels still requires as much work as you can put in, so that you can actually make money off the fights, meaning that you probably don't have time for another career.
Now whilst there is a huge amount of cash in boxing, most of it ends up in the hands of the select view at the top, leaving the bottle level athletes to quite literally fight for it.
The average salary for boxing at this level is $51,370 each year, which many say is great, and many others disagree saying the hard work doesn't equate to the salary.
Even with this figure though, due to it being an average, obviously half of the professional boxing circuit earned less than this, with the bottom 10% getting a measly $19,220 each year.
If you are in that bottom 10%, then there is probably no-point doing the boxing unless you get into a higher league, considering how much time and effort you are putting into it.
Amateurs
The salary of a beginning of amateur boxers can be relatively low, with most of the real money being made in the two classes above this. Nevertheless, many people who aren't able to turn pro still put in the effort in this league and make a fair bit of money in doing so.
To make money in this league, you are obviously expected to be in great shape and spend a lot of time in the gym training, otherwise you would just get walked over in all your fights.
The salary of the beginning pro's is expected to rise by 7% by 2026, with the current median salary at around $26,115, with the lowest 10% only earning $19,000.
Even with this pretty low salary, as mentioned you are still expected to put in heaps of work and you most likely wouldn't have time for another job in your life because of the constant training at the gym.
A good goal to set yourself in this category would be to become professional so that you can get a pretty hefty salary increase.
To get a full breakdown on Boxer Pay click here.
MMA
Superstars
Despite the superstars of MMA still earning a huge amount of money, it doesn't really compare to the amount that the legends of boxing currently earn, with the leaders of MMA such as Conor McGregor or Jon Jones having a base salary of about $3 million each year, and sometimes room for roughly $30 million more earned through sponsorships and fights, as seen through McGregor's earnings.
Again with MMA, it is the top-tier boxers raking in all the money, leaving not much else but scraps for the pros and amateurs to fight for. Like boxing, MMA is only a career acquired by people with an insane amount of hard work and self-motivation, and people only reach this superstar level by driving each day for more and more.
To get to this level, you would need a huge amount of experience and success in the pro and amateur field, which is what we will be getting into next.
Professionals
A professional MMA career isn't something that comes with ease, with most of the people in this bracket working all day every day in order to stay in shape and get the most out of their livelihood.
Whilst most of the money is circulating around the top-tier fighters, they can still earn a fair income at the level with the average fighter raking in around $38,000 each year.
Again, it's important to remember that with this average, 50% of the fighters still earn less than this, with the bottom 10% only making around $17,520 each year.
At the other end of the spectrum, the top tier professional MMA fighters can find themselves earning a rough estimate of about $59,000 each year, not including all the payouts that need to occur regarding their manager, gym fees, trainer fees, travel and so- on.
Amateurs
Now, whilst there isn't a reason that you need to stay in the amateur category of MMA unless you are lacking the skill to make it up the ranks, it is recommended that you get out of there as soon as possible because you will find yourself losing money here.
You do not get paid to compete in any of the fights, instead all audience fees go towards the production and the promoter who has let the fights take place.
You will then of-course find yourself losing money because of the fees you need to pay for your travel, gym and so on. If you want to actually get a career out of MMA, then it is highly recommended to not stay in this amateur league because it will only detriment you as a fighter financially, although it will give you some good experience to help you know what to expect in the big leagues.
To get a full breakdown on MMA Fighter Pay click here.
The final verdict
So, it is now time to answer the question you have been asking; who gets more money, the boxers or the MMA fighters? Taking all this information and putting it together, it is clear that in the superstar category boxers make significantly more money. This is seen through fighters like AJ and Andy Ruiz earning upwards of $60 million each year, and fighter such as Conor McGregor only earning around $40 million on a good year.
This is most likely due to the larger amount of people who choose to watch boxing fights on T.V and in person as opposed to the MMA fights.
Then, because more people watch and enjoy boxing, more people pay to either go to the match or watch advertisements on T.V, which all contribute to driving up the revenue that these boxers are earning. So, for the first round, it is boxing that takes the win.
Regarding the Professional fighters, although it is a little closer this time, boxing is going to win again, which can most likely be attributed to more people going to watch these professional fights in person.
The professional boxers earn on average around $51,000 each year, in comparison to the MMA fighters who are only getting about $38,000 annually. This small wage gap occurs due to more people wanting to invest there time paying to watch professional boxing matches, as opposed to the MMA fights.
In the final category of amateur fighting, it is a pretty clear winner yet again. With the average amateur boxer earning around $26,000, and the amateur MMA fighter earning no money, you can see why many people choose to undertake boxing as their career choice as opposed to MMA.
So, with this information, it is clear that boxers earn significantly more than their fighting counterparts doing MMA.
This is most likely due to the higher amount of people who watch boxing, which allows for more money to be made through T.V and sponsorships/advertisements. Either way, one thing's for sure.
Boxing won by a landslide and now has been crowned the champion over MMA for how they pay their fighters.
You have been training MMA for years. Now you're confident that you can knock down your opponent. Matched betting services. You thought of taking part in a MMA fight to make some money. But do you know how MMA fighters make money? And how much do they make as a fighter?
How much an MMA fighter makes depends on their experience and the number of fights they take part in. The pay could be anywhere from $2000 to $100k. An average UFC fighter makes $138,250 in 2018. But again, it all depends on the fighter's skills, experience and how long the fighter has been in the industry.
Apart from fighting in the UFC, an MMA fighter can also make money by training people. Each fighter has a different earning graph. If you're new to the industry and don't have a reputed agent, you might end up making no money at all.
The earning also depends on how often the fighter fights and how popular they're as a fighter.
MMA Fighters – Sources of Income
Fighting is the primary source of income for MMA fighters. Every fighter has a base salary if they're fighting in the UFC. Some fighters are eligible for a win bonus if their base salary is low. As the fighters keep gaining popularity, their base salary also keeps rising.
Gaining popularity depends on fighters fighting records and their market value. Fighting is not enough to pull out high paying cheque. Every fighter has to build his audience. The more people like him and the higher their demand, higher will be the paychecks.
How To Fight Mma For Money
An average fighter makes around $138250 per year, which is $11500 a month. The paychecks look good for a third world fighter. But if the fighter is from the USA, he is living below the average yearly income.
1. Base Salary – Base salaries are salaries given to every fighter for taking part in the fight. They get the money even if they lose the fight.
A reputed and on-demand fighter has a higher base salary compared to new fighters. A fighter that has a good fighting status can negotiate the base salary. The base salary can be anywhere from $1500 to a million dollars.
2. Fight Night Bonuses – Fight night is another way how MMA fighters make money fighting. But it all depends on how the audience is reacting. If the fighter gives his best and performs above expectations. He might get the title 'fight of the night' or 'performance of the night' and an award with $50000 as cash price.
3. Win Bonuses Legal age to gamble nevada. – Win bonuses are bonuses given to those who win the fight game. These types of bonuses are given to low base salary fighters. A fighter with a high base salary doesn't receive win bonuses.
4. Illegal Underground Fight – Not all fighters take part in this game. But there are lots of amateurs who take part and make tons of money by illegal fighting. These fights are risky and illegal. There are no rules in the fight. The person who wins takes the money.
5. Sponsorships – Under the sponsorships of UFC Reebok every fighter with 3 or fewer fights receives $3500. A fighter receives $5000 for every 4 or more fights. Before Reebok sponsorship entered the game. The fighter receives sponsorships from independent sponsors and makes tons of money.
This is largely similar to how boxers make money.
Boxing vs MMA
How To Make Money Fighting Mma Fights
Most fighters get a large portion of their money from a salary paid by the UFC. This salary often gets paid out fight-by-fight, and is open to negotiation, depending on the fighter's performance. Rookie fighters often make significantly less than their more famous counterparts.
Despite professional boxers currently earning significantly more than MMA fighters, this doesn't necessarily mean that the lower level boxers are still bathing in this huge wage gap. On top of this, many have predicted that in the near future MMA may begin to edge closer to boxing in popularity, and then consequentially pay more to their fighters.
- To make money in this league, you are obviously expected to be in great shape and spend a lot of time in the gym training, otherwise you would just get walked over in all your fights. The salary of the beginning pro's is expected to rise by 7% by 2026, with the current median salary at around $26,115, with the lowest 10% only earning $19,000.
- MMA Fighter – Money through Advertising Apart from fighting, MMA fighters can also make money advertising. To make money through advertising the fighter has to be the best of the best., like a movie superstar, he has to have a huge fan following. Conor McGregor acts as an advertising model for Burger King.
But for now, take a look at a detailed overview of the payment boxers and MMA fighters receive, ranging from the amateurs to the full-fledged superstars. Make sure you stick around 'till the end to see a comparison of the two as-well.
Boxing
Superstars
The gruelling life of a boxer involves a lot more training and preparing for a fight than the actual winning part. Most of the time, you are going hard in the gym, trying to push yourself to the edge to make sure you can take on your next opponent.
To get to the top you'll need to have years of experience and be able to self-motivate yourself all-day everyday.
To start off with the few superstars, people like Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury will bank around $60 million for a successful fight, as seen through AJ's winnings against Ruiz.
If you were to lose a fight of that calibre, you would still be getting quite the pay-day, walking away with roughly $25 million. If you are still a professional but don't happen to be having some of the biggest fights in history, you can still expect some good money as long as you have a good manager.
This money comes through sponsorships, social media and obviously your fights, with the average well-known boxer earning around $23 million each calendar year. If you want to achieve these pretty hard to reach goals, it requires years of training at the amateur level to build up your career and a ludicrous amount of hard work. Boxing superstardom isn't for the quaint.
When possible, we will first refund all deposits made in the last 90 days. Any excess funds after refundable deposits have been fulfilled are delivered via the selected withdrawal method (PayPal or check) If a card used to deposit is expired, refundable deposits will be returned to your new card as long as the account numbers are the same. I received a 1099-Misc of $5,661 from FanDuel and have filed that on my tax return. On Draftkings, I had a yearly loss of $1,300. Can I offset these fantasy sports sites? Draftkings 1099 misc.
Professionals
For the boxers who haven't quite reached major fame yet, but are still managing to earn a living off of boxing and have several high-quality fights each year, they are simply known as professionals.
Don't be fooled by the step-down, being a boxer on this levels still requires as much work as you can put in, so that you can actually make money off the fights, meaning that you probably don't have time for another career.
Now whilst there is a huge amount of cash in boxing, most of it ends up in the hands of the select view at the top, leaving the bottle level athletes to quite literally fight for it.
The average salary for boxing at this level is $51,370 each year, which many say is great, and many others disagree saying the hard work doesn't equate to the salary.
Even with this figure though, due to it being an average, obviously half of the professional boxing circuit earned less than this, with the bottom 10% getting a measly $19,220 each year.
If you are in that bottom 10%, then there is probably no-point doing the boxing unless you get into a higher league, considering how much time and effort you are putting into it.
Amateurs
The salary of a beginning of amateur boxers can be relatively low, with most of the real money being made in the two classes above this. Nevertheless, many people who aren't able to turn pro still put in the effort in this league and make a fair bit of money in doing so.
To make money in this league, you are obviously expected to be in great shape and spend a lot of time in the gym training, otherwise you would just get walked over in all your fights.
The salary of the beginning pro's is expected to rise by 7% by 2026, with the current median salary at around $26,115, with the lowest 10% only earning $19,000.
Even with this pretty low salary, as mentioned you are still expected to put in heaps of work and you most likely wouldn't have time for another job in your life because of the constant training at the gym.
A good goal to set yourself in this category would be to become professional so that you can get a pretty hefty salary increase.
To get a full breakdown on Boxer Pay click here.
MMA
Superstars
Despite the superstars of MMA still earning a huge amount of money, it doesn't really compare to the amount that the legends of boxing currently earn, with the leaders of MMA such as Conor McGregor or Jon Jones having a base salary of about $3 million each year, and sometimes room for roughly $30 million more earned through sponsorships and fights, as seen through McGregor's earnings.
Again with MMA, it is the top-tier boxers raking in all the money, leaving not much else but scraps for the pros and amateurs to fight for. Like boxing, MMA is only a career acquired by people with an insane amount of hard work and self-motivation, and people only reach this superstar level by driving each day for more and more.
To get to this level, you would need a huge amount of experience and success in the pro and amateur field, which is what we will be getting into next.
Professionals
A professional MMA career isn't something that comes with ease, with most of the people in this bracket working all day every day in order to stay in shape and get the most out of their livelihood.
Whilst most of the money is circulating around the top-tier fighters, they can still earn a fair income at the level with the average fighter raking in around $38,000 each year.
Again, it's important to remember that with this average, 50% of the fighters still earn less than this, with the bottom 10% only making around $17,520 each year.
At the other end of the spectrum, the top tier professional MMA fighters can find themselves earning a rough estimate of about $59,000 each year, not including all the payouts that need to occur regarding their manager, gym fees, trainer fees, travel and so- on.
Amateurs
Now, whilst there isn't a reason that you need to stay in the amateur category of MMA unless you are lacking the skill to make it up the ranks, it is recommended that you get out of there as soon as possible because you will find yourself losing money here.
You do not get paid to compete in any of the fights, instead all audience fees go towards the production and the promoter who has let the fights take place.
You will then of-course find yourself losing money because of the fees you need to pay for your travel, gym and so on. If you want to actually get a career out of MMA, then it is highly recommended to not stay in this amateur league because it will only detriment you as a fighter financially, although it will give you some good experience to help you know what to expect in the big leagues.
To get a full breakdown on MMA Fighter Pay click here.
The final verdict
So, it is now time to answer the question you have been asking; who gets more money, the boxers or the MMA fighters? Taking all this information and putting it together, it is clear that in the superstar category boxers make significantly more money. This is seen through fighters like AJ and Andy Ruiz earning upwards of $60 million each year, and fighter such as Conor McGregor only earning around $40 million on a good year.
This is most likely due to the larger amount of people who choose to watch boxing fights on T.V and in person as opposed to the MMA fights.
Then, because more people watch and enjoy boxing, more people pay to either go to the match or watch advertisements on T.V, which all contribute to driving up the revenue that these boxers are earning. So, for the first round, it is boxing that takes the win.
Regarding the Professional fighters, although it is a little closer this time, boxing is going to win again, which can most likely be attributed to more people going to watch these professional fights in person.
The professional boxers earn on average around $51,000 each year, in comparison to the MMA fighters who are only getting about $38,000 annually. This small wage gap occurs due to more people wanting to invest there time paying to watch professional boxing matches, as opposed to the MMA fights.
In the final category of amateur fighting, it is a pretty clear winner yet again. With the average amateur boxer earning around $26,000, and the amateur MMA fighter earning no money, you can see why many people choose to undertake boxing as their career choice as opposed to MMA.
So, with this information, it is clear that boxers earn significantly more than their fighting counterparts doing MMA.
This is most likely due to the higher amount of people who watch boxing, which allows for more money to be made through T.V and sponsorships/advertisements. Either way, one thing's for sure.
Boxing won by a landslide and now has been crowned the champion over MMA for how they pay their fighters.
You have been training MMA for years. Now you're confident that you can knock down your opponent. Matched betting services. You thought of taking part in a MMA fight to make some money. But do you know how MMA fighters make money? And how much do they make as a fighter?
How much an MMA fighter makes depends on their experience and the number of fights they take part in. The pay could be anywhere from $2000 to $100k. An average UFC fighter makes $138,250 in 2018. But again, it all depends on the fighter's skills, experience and how long the fighter has been in the industry.
Apart from fighting in the UFC, an MMA fighter can also make money by training people. Each fighter has a different earning graph. If you're new to the industry and don't have a reputed agent, you might end up making no money at all.
The earning also depends on how often the fighter fights and how popular they're as a fighter.
MMA Fighters – Sources of Income
Fighting is the primary source of income for MMA fighters. Every fighter has a base salary if they're fighting in the UFC. Some fighters are eligible for a win bonus if their base salary is low. As the fighters keep gaining popularity, their base salary also keeps rising.
Gaining popularity depends on fighters fighting records and their market value. Fighting is not enough to pull out high paying cheque. Every fighter has to build his audience. The more people like him and the higher their demand, higher will be the paychecks.
How To Fight Mma For Money
An average fighter makes around $138250 per year, which is $11500 a month. The paychecks look good for a third world fighter. But if the fighter is from the USA, he is living below the average yearly income.
1. Base Salary – Base salaries are salaries given to every fighter for taking part in the fight. They get the money even if they lose the fight.
A reputed and on-demand fighter has a higher base salary compared to new fighters. A fighter that has a good fighting status can negotiate the base salary. The base salary can be anywhere from $1500 to a million dollars.
2. Fight Night Bonuses – Fight night is another way how MMA fighters make money fighting. But it all depends on how the audience is reacting. If the fighter gives his best and performs above expectations. He might get the title 'fight of the night' or 'performance of the night' and an award with $50000 as cash price.
3. Win Bonuses Legal age to gamble nevada. – Win bonuses are bonuses given to those who win the fight game. These types of bonuses are given to low base salary fighters. A fighter with a high base salary doesn't receive win bonuses.
4. Illegal Underground Fight – Not all fighters take part in this game. But there are lots of amateurs who take part and make tons of money by illegal fighting. These fights are risky and illegal. There are no rules in the fight. The person who wins takes the money.
5. Sponsorships – Under the sponsorships of UFC Reebok every fighter with 3 or fewer fights receives $3500. A fighter receives $5000 for every 4 or more fights. Before Reebok sponsorship entered the game. The fighter receives sponsorships from independent sponsors and makes tons of money.
This is largely similar to how boxers make money.
MMA Fighter – Money through Advertising
Apart from fighting, MMA fighters can also make money advertising. To make money through advertising the fighter has to be the best of the best., like a movie superstar, he has to have a huge fan following.
Conor McGregor acts as an advertising model for Burger King. The more popular the fighter, the higher their demand will be outside the ring. MNCs like Burger King have a huge budget for advertisement. One advertisement deal can make the fighter more money than the money they make in a year fighting.
Other than Fighting and Advertising, how can MMA fighters make money?
1. Coaching and Training Classes
MMA is the second-most-watched combat sport in the world. People are also taking up MMA classes for self-defense training. There are thousands and thousands of people who want to learn MMA martial arts.
If you have been an MMA fighter or if you're still in the game. You can make money training and coaching beginners. You can also give one-on-one personal training with a little higher fee.
Training and coaching are some of the most lucrative businesses in the world. Be it in the ring or coaching, you have to impress your audience. If your students like your training, they will recommend more students to you. Higher the number of students higher the income.
There are people who are making more money than the MMA fighters by giving coaching and training. MMA is a skill not everybody knows. If you think you're good at it. You can build a training institute and make more than you make by fighting.
2. Online Training
Training is not limited to a specific geographical location. With the help of the internet you can make money training online. Though you'll need a bit of investment in the initial stage. Online training can be very profitable if you give the right information to MMA lovers.
Before you start training online. You have to build your audience and show your expertise in the field. You can fight and still make money online. Hire a freelancer and build a website, you can outsource every single work.
Once you get a decent amount of monthly visitors. You can announce an MMA training course. Or if you don't want the headache of building a website, writing blogs and marketing. You can create a course and sell it on Udemy and other course selling platforms.
Teaching online doesn't need to be hard. You can still make money from online training while you pursue your MMA fighting career. You only need 1 hour a day to create an online course. There is no guarantee that you'll make money as soon as you enter the UFC fight. Why not make some money while you struggle to make your name to the top fighter list.
Also, have a look at how much do referees make.
3. Write a book about MMA
The internet has exploded with ebooks in recent years. These days every person with a skill or knowledge is publishing books and making money. Some are even making a living out of it. If you're an experienced and expert MMA fighter, you can make money by writing books about MMA.
Writing and selling books about MMA on amazon or print form is a profitable side income. You don't have to be a writer to make money by books. There are tons of writers who would love to write your book.
If you have a website it gets way easier for you to market and sell your books. There are hungry people out there who are looking for raw and first-hand information. You can be that person who gives the right and accurate information to the public.
Don't underestimate the income of the book business. There are people who become millionaires by writing and selling books. If you're an experienced MMA fighter you can share your story, techniques and make money.
4. Youtube
Another great way to earn as an MMA fighter is to share your expertise on youtube. Make a video and share your journey, fight and opinion on youtube.
MMA is an exciting game. You as a professional fighter won't take long to start earning from Youtube. You can even make money by promoting UFC and ESPN if they would pay you for promoting.
You could do lots of things with youtube. You can do affiliate marketing for a product that you use for fighting and training. Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money. You could do product reviews and get free products and gears.
Youtube is an endless money-making loophole if you're an expert. One youtube channel might make you more money than the money you make fighting in a year. The options are endless. People love MMA, you can give tips to MMA beginners in video form.
And again, you don't have to stop fighting. Fighting is a passion, pursue it but try making some money from your expertise side by side. As per the statistics, beginner fighters don't even make as much as the average American does. The internet has opened up lots of options to make money. Share your skills and make money.
How Much Do Mma Fighters Make
Conclusion
Can You Make Money Fighting Mma
MMA fighters make money as per their popularity and fighting records. But to be at the top list of the chart, they need lots of fights and hard work. You'll not make much initially but there is always an option to make money outside the ring.
At the end of the day, it's all about building an audience. The more people know you and like your fight. The more they will be willing to pay to watch your fight.
Online is the best way to build an audience. The people who are learning from you outside the ring are very likely to come and see your fight. The only thing that will take you to the top fighter list is your fight and your audience. Remember money is man-made and it follows passionate people.
