Khabib Nurmagomedov made a whopping $16.5m in 2019-2020 and was named Russia's 'most successful' celebrity or athlete under the age of 40, according to reports.
The 31-year-old undefeated Russian star hasn't fought inside the octagon since his successful title defence over Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in September 2019.
However, Forbes reports that Khabib placed ahead of fellow athletes like ice hockey stars Alexander Ovechkin and Artemi Panarin in Russia's rich list.
Advert
According to the publication, the Dagestan-born fighter's earnings for the fiscal year were based on his UFC fights, sponsorships and speaking events.
Bloody Elbow's Karim Zidan wrote that despite Khabib's 'strict policy against sponsoring alcohol, cigarettes or gambling products and services, Nurmagomedov was able to amass a sponsorship portfolio that included contracts with Reebok, Toyota, Gorilla Energy drink and Alhadaya (black cumin oil).'
Advert
Forbes' report also speculated that the 'Eagle' could have made over $10m from his third-round submission victory over Poirier.
While salaries from the Abu Dhabi-held event weren't officially revealed, earlier reports suggested that Khabib made at least $6m from the main-event clash.
Forbes claimed that the total earnings for Khabib also took into account how much he charged for speaking arrangements, saying they were roughly around $78,000.
Khabib's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has since taken to Twitter and revealed that the UFC lightweight champ actually makes $300,000 from a public-speaking event.
Khabib was scheduled to face rival Tony Ferguson in a mega-fight at UFC 249 in April, but the fight fell through for the fifth time due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Advert
The UFC star is reportedly targeting a September return to the octagon and is expected to face interim lightweight champ Justin Gaethje.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Khabib Nurmagomedov, UFC News, MMA News, UFC, eagle, MMA
