Introduction

Daniel Cormier is an American former professional MMA fighter with an estimated net worth of $6 Million.

Cormier won both the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship and Heavyweight Championship. He was also a collegiate champion in his folkstyle wrestling career and won titles with three other professional promotions.

Net Worth History

During the middle of his career, Daniel Cormier was still receiving government assistance as he couldn’t pay all of his bills. Things would then change as he entered the title scene, becoming a millionaire and one of the wealthiest fighters in the UFC.

Here’s a breakdown of Daniel Cormier’s annual net worth:

• 2013 – $650,000
• 2014 – $1 Million
• 2015 – $3 Million
• 2016 – $3.5 Million
• 2017 – $5.5 Million
• 2018 – $7 Million
• 2019 – $7.5 Million
• 2020 – $8 Million
• 2021 – $8 Million
• 2022 – $8 Million

Before Wealth & Fame

Daniel Cormier trained in amateur wrestling, won three state championships, and was named to the all-state team for football. He continued his wrestling career in college, starting at Colby Community College before transferring to Oklahoma State University, where he became one of the best in the NCAA.

Cormier began a senior career in freestyle wrestling and won six consecutive gold medals at the US National Championship, and was a US Olympic wrestler in 2004 and 2008 before heading into mixed martial arts.

MMA Career 

Daniel Cormier started his professional MMA career with a technical knockout win over Gary Frazier at Strikeforce Challengers. He would continue to add to his win streak, making it to 11-0 after defeating Dion Staring in another Strikeforce pay-per-view.

On April 20, 2013, Cormier entered the UFC to fight for Dana White and won his first match against Frank Mir via unanimous decision. It wasn’t until 2015 that Cormier would lose his first match, coming in a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout against Jon Jones.

Cormier won the same title in his very next match against Anthony Johnson, and added the UFC Heavyweight Championship to his resume by defeating Stipe Miocic in 2018.

UFC Earnings

If you’ve read any of our other MMA fighter profiles before, then you know the drill. Very few of a fighter’s purses are disclosed, and those that are don’t typically include additional earnings from PPV bonuses. In Daniel Cormier’s situation, salaries were disclosed for seven of his fights, beginning in 2014.

When DC fought Patrick Cummins at UFC 170, he earned a total of $160,000, comprising $80,000 to show and $80,000 for the win. Later that year, at UFC 173, Cormier earned a similar sum ($170,000) for submitting Dan Henderson with a rear-naked choke.

In his first title fight against Jon Jones in 2015, he received $90,000 despite the loss, which highlighted that his base purse was gradually increasing. However, Cormier mentioned that after the fight, Dana White was impressed with the performance and sent him a cheque for $1 million. 

Later that year, he earned $180,000 for beating Anthony Johnson, again earning a $90,000 base purse, as well as a $90,000 win bonus. That said, Cormier has also mentioned that the UFC’s owner at the time, Lorenzo Fertitta, wanted his champions to make at least $1 million per fight. Fertitta would make up the difference to ensure that champions would receive $1 million per fight. In which case, Cormier likely earned $1 million from the Johnson fight, and for his next fight against Alexander Gustafsson.

Peak Career Earnings

Only three other fights of Daniel Cormier’s career have disclosed earnings. These are a $1 million paycheck for his rematch with Jon Jones at UFC 214, and two $500,000 purses for his fights with Stipe Miocic. By this point, DC’s pay-per-view bonuses likely exceeded $1 million, and thus, Fertitta didn’t need to make up the difference.

Just based on the figures we’ve mentioned above, Cormier’s disclosed earnings amount to $5.32 million during his tenure with the UFC. That said, this doesn’t include every single one of his fights and doesn’t factor in PPV income. 

Personal Life

Daniel Cormier and his three siblings were raised by his parents, Audrey Cormier and Joseph Cormier, in Louisiana. Cormier was married to a woman named Robin, and following their divorce, he had a child in another relationship, but his girlfriend and child tragically passed away in a car accident.

Since the late 2000s, Cormier has been in a relationship with Salina Deleon. The couple got married in 2017 and has had two children together.

Summary 

Daniel Cormier had perhaps one of the more traditional routes into the UFC thanks to his background in wrestling. However, not many have found the type of success that Cormier has while in the UFC, as he won championships in multiple weight classes. He has used his talents and marketability to launch a successful MMA career that has made him one of the richest combat athletes.

Introduction

Randy Couture is an American professional actor and former MMA fighter with an estimated net worth of $7 Million.

Early Career 

In his teenage years, Randy Couture joined the U.S. Army, where he was part of the wrestling team. Upon discharge, he attended Oklahoma State University, where he won gold at the Pan American Games. He served in the military from 1982 to 1988, finished college in 1992, and then became an Olympic alternate afterward.

MMA Career 

On May 30, 1997, Randy Couture made his UFC debut with two matches, defeating both Tony Halme and Steven Graham in the UFC 13 Heavyweight Division Tournament.

Just a few months later, Couture won against Vitor Belfort to set up a UFC Heavyweight Championship match against Maurice Smith, winning via majority decision. Couture lost his title due to a contract dispute with UFC and fought in Japan before returning in 2000 to defeat Kevin Randleman and reclaim his title.

Throughout his career, Couture would have five title reigns across the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions and fought the likes of Chuck Liddell, Brock Lesnar, and Tito Ortiz. During the back half of his career, Couture began an acting career and starred alongside Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham in the Expendables series.

UFC Earnings

Similar to most professional MMA fighters, not all of Randy Couture’s fight purses are public knowledge. There’s also a substantial difference between disclosed purses and the fighter’s total purse, which includes PPV revenue. The table above highlights seven fights where Couture’s salary was disclosed. However, several reports suggest he was also earning a hefty sum from pay-per-view shares. We’ll get to that in just a second.

Randy’s earliest recorded purse was $120,000 for his loss to Vitor Belfort at UFC 46. During the peak of his career, Couture typically earned a base salary of $250,000 per fight. This was the case for the majority of his fights, including against James Toney, Brock Lesnar, and Tim Sylvia. Each of these bouts earned him $250,000. 

When Randy fought Gabriel Gonzaga in 2007, he earned $250,000 plus an additional $35,000 for Fight of the Night. For his third fight with Chuck Liddell at UFC 57, Couture received a base pay of $225,000. Finally, when he fought Antonio Nogueira at UFC 102 in 2009, Couture earned $250,000 for the fight and a $60,000 bonus for Fight of the Night, totaling $310,000.

This brings his total disclosed pay to $1.7 million from these seven fights. However, this doesn’t even account for a quarter of his 30 professional fights, and doesn’t account for PPV earnings.

Pay-Per-View Earnings

A fighter’s income from PPV revenue is not often disclosed to the public and varies significantly depending on the fighter and the number of buys an event receives. In Couture’s case, this is where things get interesting. In 2007, Randy claimed that the UFC wasn’t being honest about fighter pay, and that he was “being taken advantage of” by the promotion. Couture said he felt that his compensation wasn’t adequate, given his history as a primary face for the UFC. 

In response, the company’s CFO, John Mulkey, put out a statement, claiming that Couture had earned a total of $2.9 million for 2007 alone. He went on to say that for the year, Randy earned $1.2 million from UFC 68, $1.1 million from UFC 74, a $500,000 signing bonus, and $160,000 for his commentary work. Documentation for cashed checks from these two events highlights $924,000 and $787,000 in earnings for UFC 68 and 74, respectively.

UFC president Dana White later claimed that Couture was earning $3.25 million per fight, although this figure has never been backed up with documentation. The relationship between White and Couture soured during the 2007 pay dispute and lawsuit.

Real Estate

In March 2007, Randy Couture paid $828,000 for a 3,743-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bathroom home in Las Vegas, Nevada. Based on the public records, he still owns the house, which now has an estimated value of $1 million, and costs him approximately $4,600 in annual property taxes.

Summary 

When you think of the UFC, Randy Couture might be the first UFC fighter that you think of because of his impact. Couture was there with the early days of the company and helped to make it popular in the mainstream while making himself a star. Now a retired mixed martial artist, Couture continues his career as an actor and coach, building on his legacy in the sport.

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.