MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov beat fierce rival Conor McGregor to be crowned the best-paid UFC fighter, despite retiring from the sport in 2020.
The 33-year-old Russian superstar notched up an unblemished 29-0 professional MMA record with his sensational second-round submission win over Justin Gaethje.
Following his lightweight title defence at UFC 254 in October 2020, Khabib called it time on his illustrious fighting career and later vacated the UFC championship.
Parimatch found that the future UFC Hall of Famer topped the MMA promotion’s rich list when it came to salaries.
According to the findings, Khabib made a hefty £4.6m salary and secured a lucrative £3.5m earnings from a single event.
McGregor, who was defeated by Khabib in their blockbuster UFC 229 clash in 2018, was named the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2021 ahead of Lionel Messi.
Read More:
However, Parimatch identified that a staggering 87 per cent of the 33-year-old Irish superstar’s earnings came from outside of the UFC.
McGregor has enjoyed money-spinning partnerships with the likes of Reebok, Beats Electronics and Monster Energy.
And the Notorious also made an eye-watering £430m in 2021 after he sold his majority stake in Proper No Twelve Irish whiskey brand.
Parimatch revealed that McGregor ranked second in the UFC rich list, with the Irishman securing a £2.3m salary and £1.7m earnings from a single event.
Posted below are the 10 fighters with the highest-earning salaries, according to Parimatch.
10. Deiveson Figueiredo: £665,000 salary and £126,350 per event earnings (four events)
9. Anthony Pettis: £649,800 salary and £164,616 per event earnings (three events)
8. Alistair Overeem: £630,800 salary and £239,704 per event earnings (two events)
7. Jose Aldo: £684,000 salary and £259,920 per event earnings (two events)
6. Justin Gaethje: £699,200 salary and £265,696 per event earnings (two events)
5. Junior dos Santos: £1,185,600 salary and £300,352 per event earnings (three events)
4. Israel Adesanya: £934,800 salary and £355,224 per event earnings (two events)
3. Stipe Miocic: £600,400 salary and £456,304 per event earnings (one event)
2. Conor McGregor: £2,325,600 salary and £1,767,456 per event earnings (one event)
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov: £4,628,400 salary and £3,517,584 per event earnings (one event)
Topics: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Stipe Miocic, Israel Adesanya, Justin Gaethje, Jose Aldo, Anthony Pettis, MMA, UFC
Adnan Riaz