Introduction

Junior Dos Santos is a Brazilian professional MMA fighter with an estimated net worth of $10 Million.

Early Life 

Junior Dos Santos was born on 30 January 1984 in Cacador, Brazil, and trained in multiple martial arts and boxing while growing up. Much of Dos Santos’ training came in the form of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, although it wasn’t until he was in his early twenties that he began to train more seriously.

Dos Santos proved to be a natural in mixed martial arts and quickly joined the professional ranks at the age of 22. He would win his first five matches easily, as he defeated every opponent in the first round, including a 50-second submission victory.

MMA Career 

Just two years after turning pro, Dos Santos made his UFC debut with a victory over Fabricio Werdum and would go on a winning streak that included takedowns of Mirko Cro Cop, Gabriel Gonzalez, and Roy Nelson.

After defeating Nelson, Dos Santos was placed into the UFC Heavyweight Title Eliminator, where he defeated Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez to earn the UFC Heavyweight Championship. He would successfully defend the title against Frank Mir, but lost his rematch to Cain Velasquez, as well as the rubber match.

From December 2014 to March 2019, Dos Santos took on the likes of Stipe Miocic, Alistair Overeem, and Derrick Lewis, but lost his final four UFC matches. After losing to Ciryl Gane in late 2020, Dos Santos’ time with UFC came to an end, and he joined Eagle FC, where he lost his first match against Yorgan De Castro in May 2022.

UFC Earnings

During our research into Junior dos Santos’ fight earnings, particularly within the UFC, we found information relating to just nine of his thirty professional fights. The majority of these fights occured between 2010 and 2013, when dos Santos was considered to be at the peak of his career. At the time, his earnings were among the highest in mixed martial arts.

However, dos Santos’ earliest recorded fight purse was $71,000 against Fabricio Werdum. This somehow included his $65,000 knockout bonus, indicating that his base pay was just a few thousand dollars. In March 2010, he earned a similar sum ($70,000), for knocking out Gabriel Gonzaga in the first round.

After six straight wins in the UFC, five of which were knockouts, dos Santos quickly began commanding a higher salary. When he fought Shane Carwin at UFC 131 in 2011, Junior earned $200,000, comprising $100,000 to show and $100,000 for the win. Later that year, he secured a similar sum ($220,000) for his win over Cain Velasquez, securing the Heavyweight Championship belt. In 2012, his disclosed earnings from his bout with Frank Mir were $200,000; however, there may have been certain bonuses that went undisclosed. At UFC 155, where Velasquez reclaimed the belt, dos Santos reportedly secured a $400,000 purse.

The final three disclosed earnings of Junior dos Santos’ UFC career were $240,000 against Mark Hunt, $260,000 against Stipe Miocic, and $400,000 against Alistair Overeem. These nine fights amounts to an estimated $2.06 million in earnings, but may still be missing several bonuses, etc.

Additional Earnings

Post-UFC, Junior dos Santos also competed in the BKFC (Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship), and Eagle FC, which is Khabib Nurmagomedov’s MMA promotion. However, these organizations are somewhat reluctant to publish their fighter’s earnings. Thus, we’re unable to know how much dos Santos has earned with them, despite many sources guessing. Junior has fought twice in the BKFC, and once for Eagle FC. In an interview, he claimed that he was “going to make as much” if not more with Eagle FC than he did in the UFC.

Personal Life

For much of his career, Junior Dos Santos was married to Vilsana Picolli, though the two announced that they would be divorcing in 2013 after a decade of marriage. That wasn’t the end of their working relationship, though, as Picolli remained as Dos Santos’ manager, and the former UFC Heavyweight Champion has more recently been linked to Brazilian TV presented Isadora Santos.

In addition to his fighting career, Dos Santos has made several appearances with All Elite Wrestling and competed in the 2019 season of Dancing with the Stars in his native Brazil.

Awards & Achievements

Here are the top awards and achievements from Junior Dos Santos’ UFC career:

• One-time UFC Heavyweight Champion with one successful title defense.
• Three-time Knockout of the Night and Fight of the Night bonus winner.
• Holds the longest winning streak in the history of the UFC heavyweight division with nine.
• Has the second most knockout victories in UFC heavyweight history with 10.
• Named to the 2011 Sherdog All-Violence First Team.

How Does Junior Dos Santos Spend His Money?

Junior Dos Santos may be one of the richest fighters, but the former UFC Heavyweight Champion doesn’t quite spend like it. Dos Santos revealed that he just wanted to be comfortable as he grew up in an impoverished area in Brazil and spent a lot of money helping his family.

In fact, one of the reasons Dos Santos left the UFC was that the injuries were no longer worth the paydays, and he wanted to work on a more manageable schedule, even if it meant earning less money. Dos Santos loves winning, and that comes with good paydays, but the money primarily goes toward his family and community.

Summary 

Junior Dos Santos was a staple of the UFC’s heavyweight division for years and is considered among the promotion’s best fighters in its history. As he approaches his 40s, Dos Santos seems to have his sights set more on professional wrestling now with All Elite Wrestling. Along the way, Dos Santos has made millions and is considered a legend of the heavyweight division for good reason.

Introduction

Francis Ngannou is a Cameroonian professional MMA fighter and boxer with an estimated net worth of $15 Million.

Ngannou gained fame for his record-breaking punch power and quickly became the UFC Heavyweight Champion. Following a contract dispute with the company, he was released by the UFC and subsequently signed with the PFL. Francis made his professional boxing debut in 2023 against Tyson Fury and also fought against Anthony Joshua in 2024. These two fights earned him more money than from all his MMA fights combined.

Net Worth History

Throughout the early parts of his career, Francis Ngannou was essentially living paycheck to paycheck between fights. However, things changed drastically when he became the UFC’s Heavyweight Champion. When we first started tracking Francis Ngannou’s net worth in 2022, it was estimated to be just $3 million. After stalled contract negotiations with the UFC, he eventually left to join the PFL. 

However, it was his move to professional boxing that truly began bringing in the big bucks. Ngannou has earned an estimated $30 million from just two boxing matchups, against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. As a result, his net worth has skyrocketed to an estimated $15 Million, as of 2025.

MMA Career 

After dropping his second fight against Zoumana Cisse, Ngannou won his next 10 matches, which included his UFC debut against Luis Henrique. Ngannou experienced a brief cold streak in 2018, dropping decisions to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis, with the latter being his first title shot. He then rebounded with wins over Curtis Blaydes and Cain Velasquez, running his record to 13-3 and re-entering the title scene in the Dana White promotion.

Ngannou became a dominant force, defeating Junior dos Santos and Jairzinho Rozenstruik en route to a rematch with Stipe Miocic, this time winning the UFC Heavyweight Championship and defending it successfully against Ciryl Gane.

UFC Fight Earnings

Not all of Francis Ngannou’s fight purses from the UFC were publicly disclosed. However, we do have information for several of them, particularly in the latter stages. Ngannou’s first official fight in the UFC took place in December 2015 against Luis Henrique. After winning the fight by knockout, he secured a total of $22,500, comprising $10,000 to show, $10,000 to win, and $2,500 from his Reebok sponsorship.

Fast forward to 2019, Ngannou earned a combined $525,000 from another two knockouts over Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos. Both of which occurred in the first minute of the first round. The following year, when Francis secured his wild knockout over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, he reportedly earned $320,000.

In 2021, Ngannou fought Stipe Miocic for the second time, once again for the Heavyweight title. Adding another knockout to his record, Francis earned $580,000, including bonuses. Finally, a decision win over Ciryl Gane in 2022 earned him $600,000.

For these six fights alone, Francis Ngannou earned an estimated $2.05 million, which is not a lot considering the extent of his dominance in the UFC’s Heavyweight division. However, we are missing a large number of his fights, particularly during his rise to the top of the rankings.

UFC Contract Dispute

The bout with Gane was the final fight on Ngannou’s contract, and although the organization offered him $5 million to sign a new deal, he was reluctant to do so. His relationship with the UFC was already strained due to contract negotiations that failed to take place in 2019. According to Francis, this led to him only receiving one fight per year, placing additional strain on his finances.

Eventually, Francis decided to leave the UFC and join the PFL. Dana White clapped back, claiming Francis is “full of s***” and “isn’t a good guy.”

Boxing Payouts

By far, the most lucrative period of Francis Ngannou’s career was between 2023 and 2024, when he transitioned into professional boxing. This was only made possible due to his decision to leave the UFC, as otherwise, he would have been locked into a contract and unable to compete in other organizations. 

In October 2023, Ngannou made his professional boxing debut against Tyson Fury at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fury won the fight by decision, reportedly earning $50 million, yet Ngannou still secured an estimated $10 million purse. Francis claimed this was almost double his entire earnings within the UFC. A year later, he fought Anthony Joshua, losing this time by knockout. However, he still walked away with a reported $20 million payday. 

As a result, Ngannous has earned an estimated $30 million from just two boxing bouts, averaging $15 million per fight. Assuming we take his word of earning in the ballpark of $5 million from all fourteen of his fights in the UFC, his average paycheck would have been just $357,000.

Summary 

Francis Ngannou has come a long way since his days of poverty in Cameroon and working odd jobs in Paris. After making his way to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ngannou became one of the best pound-for-pound fighters. Throughout his career, Ngannou has established himself as one of the richest and most successful MMA fighters.

Introduction

Quinton Rampage Jackson is an American former professional MMA fighter and actor with an estimated net worth of $4 Million

He is well known for being a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and has also fought in the Pride and Bellator MMA Championships. Aside from fighting, Jackson is also an actor and has starred in dozens of films, including:

• The A-Team
• Never Surrender
• Bad Guys
• Death Warrior

Early MMA Career

Quinton Jackson was often involved in street fights as a teenager and also turned to selling drugs on the streets. His father was a drug addict and suddenly disappeared when Jackson was 10. He didn’t return to Jackson’s life until he was 25. Rampage was a wrestling champion in high school, where he befriended a mixed martial arts fighter. The two would exchange techniques and practice together.

Jackson befriended Jacob Noe at school and later trained with him to learn punching and kicking techniques to improve his MMA prospects. While attending Lassen Community College, Quinton did well on the wrestling team until he was expelled after fighting with a teammate. This led him to travel to Las Vegas to train with MMA star Lewis Rumble and later join the King of the Cage and Gladiator promotions.

Pride FC (2001-2006)

An opportunity to fight in Japan for more money led Jackson to leave Las Vegas and participate in Pride 15 against Japanese fighter Kazushi Sakuraba. Despite losing to Sakuraba, Jackson impressed the promoters and fans with his fighting style and agreed to fight under the Japanese Pride organization. He was invited to appear at Pride 17, where he defeated various opponents and heard about opportunities in Kickboxing.

Jackson knocked out his first opponent, Cyril Abidi, in the first round of a hotly contested fight, earning a well-deserved win. But the K1 rules and fights were not to his liking, and he decided to return to the sport he knew best, MMA, in 2003. With Jackson’s successful MMA title shot against Rocko Hammerhands, Henderson raised his profile in the sport, and he went looking for bigger targets.

In a closely contested 2003 match against one of MMA’s most celebrated fighters, Jackson defeated Wanderlei Silva by a split decision. Jackson’s split decision win was the start of a fierce rivalry between the two fighters as they traded wins and losses after multiple fights.

At the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix, Murilo Bustamante and Jackson clashed for the chance to meet UFC fighter Chuck Liddell in the semi-finals. Jackson beat both Bustamante and Liddell, securing a match against Silva in the tournament finals, where Silva won after the referee stopped the fight.

This defeat didn’t stop Jackson as he continued to fight in the Pride tournaments, beating Ikuhisa Minowa with a technical knockout before facing Ricardo Arona. He knocked out Arona, setting Jackson up for another crack at Silva, who knocked him out with multiple knee strikes.

UFC & Championship Glory

In 2007, Jackson joined Dana White, signing with the UFC, and in a defining career move, defeated Chuck Liddell to win the UFC Light Heavyweight Title. He was then appointed as a coach on “The Ultimate Fighter 7” and faced Forrest Griffin for the light heavyweight championship at UFC 86.

His first-round Griffin knockout proved his status as UFC champion, but it didn’t last long as Griffin beat him in a closely contested rematch. While earning a reported $500,000 for his time in the UFC ring in 2010, Jackson sought bigger paydays.

Bellator MMA & Return to the UFC

It wasn’t until 2013 that Jackson left the UFC and joined Bellator MMA, debuting with a knockout victory over Joey Beltran. He then continued his winning form and impressed the crowds with another first-round knockout, this time against Christian M’Pumbu. He returned briefly to the UFC in 2014, taking on Fabio Maldonado and Muhammed Lawal, both of whom he beat, proving his continued top form.

After taking a brief break from Bellator, Jackson returned to Bellator MMA in 2014, signing a contract for a further five years. Throughout his final years in the MMA octagon, Jackson took on the toughest fighters, competing against some of the best newcomers. He continued to perform well until the end of his contract in 2019, but despite remaining competitive, he decided to retire while still in his prime.

During his career, Jackson secured 38 sensational victories and 14 losses after participating in a total of 52 professional matches. His notable achievements included 20 wins by knockout and 14 by decision, while losing 4 fights by knockout, proving himself a resilient and striking powerhouse.

Fight Earnings

During the peak of his MMA career, Rampage often earned between $250,000 and $400,000 per fight. This included two of his Bellator fights: the first with Chael Sonnen at Bellator 192, and the second against Wanderlei Silva at Bellator 206. Each fight earned him a $300,000 purse.

In the UFC, he secured two $385,000 paydays, facing Silva again at UFC 92 and Keith Jardine at UFC 96. Against Wanderlei, Rampage earned $225,000 to show up, a $100,000 win bonus, and a $60,000 knockout bonus. The case was the same for his victory over Jardine, but instead of a knockout bonus, he secured $60,000 for Fight of the Night. Jackson also reportedly earned $250,000 from fighting Matt Hamill at UFC 130. 

Chuck Liddell Earnings

Rampage previously claimed that he earned a total of $7 million for his fight with Chuck Liddell at UFC 71 in 2007. This was due to his shares of the pay-per-view revenues, which are typically not publicly disclosed. Jackson discussed the terms of the deal on his own podcast, the Jaxxon Podcast, in an interview with Bas Rutten.

Acting Career

Jackson’s career took a more artistic turn when he moved beyond the MMA into Hollywood, debuting in the 2010 film, “The A-Team.” Unsurprisingly, he portrayed the iconic role of B.A. Baracus, originally played by Mr. T in the 1980s television series. He went on to appear in other films, including “Miss March” in 2009 and “Fire with Fire,” released in 2012, starring Bruce Willis and Josh Duhamel. Jackson’s career included a variety of roles, including television shows such as the extremely popular “The King of Queens” with Kevin James in 2006.