MMA fighters were once again absent from Forbes’ annual highest-paid athletes rankings for 2026, continuing a trend that has raised questions about fighter pay across the sport.
For the second straight year, no active MMA athlete landed inside the top 50. Boxing only had two names represented on the list despite several major pay-per-view events over the past 12 months.
Cristiano Ronaldo leads while Canelo cashes in big
Soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo topped the Forbes rankings after reportedly earning $300 million over the last year. That figure included both salary and endorsement income. Ronaldo also held the No. 1 spot in 2025 after reportedly bringing in $275 million.
The highest-ranked combat sports athlete was Canelo Alvarez, who landed at No. 2 overall with reported earnings of $170 million. Forbes stated that $160 million came from fight purses, while another $10 million was generated through sponsorships and endorsements.
Canelo’s massive payday was boosted by his blockbuster clash against Terence Crawford. Their fight reportedly drew more than 41 million viewers on Netflix and became one of the biggest boxing events of the year.
Despite defeating Canelo by decision, Crawford did not make the top 50 list.
Jake Paul was the only other boxer included. He ranked No. 23 after reportedly earning $70 million over the past year. Forbes credited $60 million to fight purses and another $10 million to endorsements and sponsorship deals.
Paul competed twice in 2025. He earned a victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. before suffering a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua later in the year. The defeat reportedly left him with a broken jaw.
Conor McGregor remains UFC’s biggest financial outlier
The absence of MMA fighters from the rankings highlights how rare it has become for UFC athletes to reach the same earning level as stars in boxing, soccer, basketball, or tennis.
Jannik Sinner reportedly claimed the No. 50 spot after earning $54.6 million over the past year. That number was still higher than any reported MMA income for 2026.
In recent years, Conor McGregor has been the only UFC athlete capable of consistently breaking into Forbes’ rankings. He famously reached No. 1 overall in 2021, largely due to the sale of his Proper No. 12 whiskey brand, which reportedly earned him around $150 million.
McGregor also appeared on the list following his 2017 boxing match against Floyd Mayweather. Much of that revenue came from boxing-related earnings rather than his UFC contract.
The former two-division UFC champion is scheduled to return at UFC 329 on July 11 in a rematch against Max Holloway. Whether that fight alone is enough to place McGregor back among the world’s highest-paid athletes remains to be seen.