Introduction

Francis Ngannou is a Cameroonian professional MMA fighter and boxer with an estimated net worth of $5 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 $5 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

Yoel Romero is a Cuban former professional MMA fighter with an estimated net worth of $10 million.

Romero fought for the UFC for seven years before joining Bellator MMA. During his MMA career, Romero has had several title shots and headlined three pay-per-view events.

MMA Career 

In December 2009, Yoel Romero made his professional debut and won his first four matches before being defeated in his lone Strikeforce bout. Romero then went on a long winning streak, which included victories over Lyoto Machida, Ronaldo Souza, and Chris Weidman.

When the UFC Middleweight Championship was up for grabs, Romero won over Luke Rockhold, but unfortunately missed weight. Therefore, Romero wouldn’t be named the title holder, then missed weight on his second title shot and lost the third to Israel Adesanya. After the final bout, Romero switched to Bellator, where he went 2-1 with wins over Alex Polizzi and Melvin Manhoef.

Earnings & Net Worth

When he first started, Yoel Romero earned about $20,000 per fight, but that changed when he joined the UFC. Though he was given just $10,000 to show in his UFC debut, Romero won several bonuses, earning him $85,000 in total.

Over the years, his payouts would increase, and his fight against Tim Kennedy at UFC 178 was his first six-figure payday. Romero earned the most in one fight, $430,000, against Robert Whittaker at UFC 213 in 2017.

Between his time with Strikeforce, UFC, and Bellator MMA, Romero has made over $2.5 million from payouts and bonuses. When his fight checks and endorsements are taken into consideration, Yoel Romero’s net worth is estimated at $10 million, thanks in large part to his winning a lawsuit against a supplement company.

Goldstar Performance Products Lawsuit

In 2015, Yoel Romero failed a USADA drug test after testing positive for ibutamoren, otherwise known as the SARM MK-677. Upon failing the test, Romero provided a sample of a supplement he had been taking, Shred Rx, which was advertised primarily as a diuretic. The sample was later tested and found to contain “approximately 5 micrograms” of ibutamoren per capsule. A subsequent test was conducted on a sample from a sealed bottle of Shred Rx, which yielded a reading of 12 micrograms per capsule.

Romero’s suspension was reduced, but not negated, as a result of the test’s findings. This led to the fighter filing a lawsuit against Goldstar Performance Products (the manufacturer of Shred Rx) in 2016. The company never responded to the suit, and Romero was awarded $27.45 million in damages, broken down as follows:

• Lost wages – $3 million
• Reputable harm – $3 million
• Emotional damage – $3 million

The judgment was then tripled as per the “Consumer Fraud Act”, which states that damages awarded can be tripled when a company is found to have committed consumer fraud.

Personal Life

Yoel Romero is a devout Christian who frequently discusses his spirituality in interviews with media members. He has kept much of his personal details private, including his wife’s name, but he has been married with three children for quite some time. He doesn’t speak English fluently, as he’s from Cuba and speaks Spanish, but he does currently reside in Miami, Florida.

Summary 

Yoel Romero is one of the greatest athletes to hail from Cuba, and certainly among the best Cuban mixed martial artists. Even without winning a UFC championship belt, Romero has proven himself to be an all-time great. When you consider his lawsuit win and MMA earnings, he’s also one of the richest Cuban athletes ever.

Introduction

Jack Nicholson is an American former professional actor and filmmaker with an estimated net worth of $400 Million.

Acting Career

Jack Nicholson started his career as an office worker for animators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera at the MGM cartoon studio. While he had the opportunity to become an animator, Nicholson turned down the offer to pursue a career in acting instead. 

His first time in front of the camera was in a small role on NBC Matinee Theater in 1956, followed by a role in the 1958 film The Cry Baby Killer. 

Nicholson continued to build his career throughout the 1960s and, in 1967, wrote the screenplay for The Trip, starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. He landed his first major acting break in 1969, starring in the film Easy Rider, which earned him an Academy Award nomination. 

A Prominent Hollywood Actor

Jack Nicholson rose to superstar prominence in the film Five Easy Pieces, which became his persona-defining role, earning him another Academy Award nomination. With the film becoming a blockbuster, Nicholson was hailed as another James Dean or Marlon Brando. 

In 1970, he appeared in the film One Clear Day You Can See Forever, and his role in Carnal Knowledge in 1971 earned him a Golden Globe nomination. He then starred in Roman Polanski’s Chinatown, three years before Polanski was arrested for the sexual assault of 13-year-old Samantha Geimer. 

Another success of Nicholson’s came in 1975 when he was cast alongside Danny DeVito as Randle McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. 

A Hollywood Legend

Jack Nicholson took on the role of the Joker in the 1989 movie Batman, which immediately became an international hit. He then starred in A Few Good Men in 1992 and received another Academy Award nomination for his role.

In 1996, he teamed up with Batman director Tim Burton once again, this time on the film Mars Attacks! The following year, he won an Academy Award for his role in the romantic comedy As Good as It Gets. 

Entering the new millennium, Nicholson appeared alongside Diane Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give in 2003. 

In 2007, he joined Morgan Freeman in The Bucket List and teamed up with Paul Rudd in How Do You Know. This was his final film before unofficially retiring from acting to enjoy a quiet life behind the scenes, following decades in the limelight. While How Do You Know was his final film, bringing his total number of appearances throughout his career to 80, Nicholson still appeared occasionally. 

In 2013, he co-presented the Academy Award for Best Picture with Michelle Obama, and in 2015, he made a special appearance on Saturday Night Live. Most recently, Nicholson appeared alongside Lou Adler on an episode of the podcast TF with Marc Maron. Nicholson reiterated that he wants to enjoy life and has no plans to return to acting.

Film Earnings

While researching Jack Nicholson’s income during his time as a professional actor, we found figures relating to twenty of his film appearances, totaling $126.2 million. However, two essential things to consider are the fact that this number doesn’t take inflation into account, nor does it include his additional income from backend profits. In most cases, the figures strictly highlight his upfront salary. 

Early Film Salaries

The earliest known paycheck of Jack Nicholson’s career was just $12,500 for starring in the 1970 film, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. Adjusted for inflation, this equates to roughly $104,000 in today’s currency. Throughout the decade, he gradually began commanding more per film, earning $500,000 from Chinatown (1974) and $75,000 from Tommy (1975). 

Towards the latter half of the 1970s, Nicholson not only began receiving seven-figures per film, but also often secured a percentage of the film’s gross revenues. This began with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in 1975, earning $1 million upfront and receiving 15% of the gross revenues. As a result, he earned closer to $15 million when all was said and done.

A similar scenario occurred the following year when Nicholson starred in The Missouri Breaks. However, this time, the film performed poorly at the box office, which left him with just his upfront salary of $1.3 million. Surprisingly, one of the most iconic films of Nicholson’s career, The Shining, didn’t earn him anything on the backend. He also took home $1.3 million. Finally, the last paycheck in what would be considered the earlier stage of his career was $1 million for Terms of Endearment. He also secured a percentage of the film’s profits, bringing the total to roughly $9 million.

Peak Film Earnings

By the late 1980s, Jack Nicholson had begun taking home several million dollars per role. Some of his most notable paychecks during this time were $4 million for Heartburn, $6 million for The Witches of Eastwick, and $5 million for Ironweed. 

We’ll discuss his earnings from playing the Joker in Batman shortly. However, before we do that, let’s run through some of the most significant salaries Nicholson secured during his final years of acting.

During the ’90s, he received upfront salaries of $10 million from Hoffa, $13 million from Wolf, and $15 million from As Good as It Gets. He also earned $10 million apiece in the 2000s from The Pledge and About Schmidt. In 2003, Nicholson joined the $20+ million club (at least in terms of base salary) when he starred alongside Adam Sandler in Anger Management. For his final film, How Do You Know, he earned $12 million, capping off his career.

Batman Earnings

The reason we held off on discussing Jack Nicholson’s Batman payday was that it was the most lucrative role of his career. To play the Joker in the 1989 film, he was initially offered an upfront salary of $10 million. However, Jack negotiated an agreement to take a lower salary ($6 million), plus a percentage of the film’s profits and revenues from Joker merchandising. 

Batman became the highest-grossing film of Nicholson’s career, raking in $412 million at the box office. Merchandise for the franchise was already popular, but until the 1989 film was released, Joker products hadn’t been as popular. Nicholson’s presence in the film elevated the character’s popularity and helped drive a rapid increase in merchandise revenues. Thus, reports suggest that he earned a combined $60 million from the film. 

Highest-Grossing Movies

Nicholson’s highest-grossing film of his career is also just one of five movies from the 1980s that grossed over $400 million worldwide. 1989’s Batman grossed $412 million at the global box office against a budget of $35 million. It was the highest-grossing movie of the year by a difference of more than $200 million. Nicholson’s earliest film to make the list was 1975’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which grossed $109 million.

Some notable mentions that didn’t make his top ten include About Schmidt ($106 million), Mars Attacks! ($101 million), and The Shining ($48 million).

Here’s a complete list of Jack Nicholson’s ten highest-grossing movies:

1. Batman – $412 Million (1989)
2. As Good as It Gets – $314 Million (1997)
3. The Departed – $291 Million (2006)
4. Something’s Gotta Give – $265 Million (2003)
5. A Few Good Men – $243 Million (1992)
6. Anger Management – $196 Million (2003)
7. The Bucket List – $175 Million (2007)
8. Wolf – $131 Million (1994)
9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – $109 Million (1975)
10. Terms of Endearment – $108 Million (1983)