ESPN the Magazine is reporting that UFC heavyweight fighter Brock Lesnar made $5.3 million from fighting in 2010.
Lesnar is getting paid huge money to crush his opponents in the ring – and that’s because when he’s fighting on a UFC event, it’s virtually guaranteed to be a blockbuster success.
In 2010, Brock Lesnar joined Mike Tyson as the only fighters to ever draw over 1 million pay-per-view buys in a single year. Tyson actually did it three times in 1996.
While Lesnar’s heavyweight annual income looks great, it pales in comparison to boxing champion Manny Pacquiao who took home a staggering $32 million in 2010.
On the surface, this looks boxing look like a far more lucrative sport for potential fighters to get into. By that standard, guys like Lesnar, Georges St. Pierre should be making much more than Lesnar made in 2010. MMA promoters argue that MMA has dozens of fighters that make over $500,000 a year, while there are only a handful of boxers making big money.
