When we talk about the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, the name Jon Jones comes to the table. Despite all the controversies both in the professional and personal life of Jon Jones, the majority of fans consider him the GOAT of MMA, and rightfully so.
Jones ruled the UFC light heavyweight division for years, beating legends such as Daniel Cormier, Shogun Rua, Lyoto Machida, Alexander Gustafsson, Rampage Jackson, and the list goes on.
With 11 successful title defenses and a near-perfect record in one of the toughest divisions in UFC, Jon Jones has all the rights to claim that he is the greatest fighter to grace the UFC octagon. However, Jones certainly feels he has not been paid like the most accomplished fighter in UFC. Recently, Jones has been very vocal about his issues with Dana White regarding his fight purse for the much anticipated heavyweight debut.
Dana White claimed that Jones wanted $30 million for the heavyweight fight against Francis Ngannou. To which Jones responded that he is open to fighting Ngannou for $15 million. This certainly had the fans thinking how much Jon Jones really earns for his fights in UFC. So let’s take a look at Jones’ fight purses throughout his UFC career.
Also Read: Will Jon Bones Jones be the next victim of this MMA curse?
Career Earnings of UFC legend Jon Jones
Jon Jones made his UFC debut against Andre Gusmao on UFC 87. He secured a fairly dominant decision win and the first big paycheck of his MMA career. Jones made $12,000($6,000 to win, $6,000 to show) for his big UFC debut. But things were going to get much better as Jones would climb the rankings in the light heavyweight division.
Jon Jones fought UFC legend Stephan Bonnar in his second UFC fight and secured another decision win. For this fight, Jones earned $14,000($7,000 to show, $7,000 to win).
Jones has only one loss in his illustrious UFC career. He was disqualified in a fight against Matt Hamill as a result of throwing an illegal 12-6 elbow. Jones fought Hamill on The Ultimate Fighter Finale season 10 and despite the loss earned a $20,000 paycheck.
Jones had his first main event in UFC when he fought Brandon Vera on UFC Live 1: Jones vs Vera. Jon Jones finished the fight in the first round to earn the $50,000 bonus for the knock-out of the night. For this fight, Jones earned a total of $90,000($20,000 to show, $20,000 to win).
The former light heavyweight champion made a fortune when he fought Ryan Bader at UFC 126. After an impressive submission win, Jones earned a fight purse of $215,000(including a $75,000 bonus for submission of the night).
Jon Jones had the first title fight of his career when he took on the former light heavyweight champion Shogun Rua in the main event of UFC 128. Jon Jones made history that night by becoming the youngest champion in UFC. For this historic win, Jones earned a fight purse of $140,000.
The UFC light heavyweight title would open up a lot of opportunities for the young Jon Jones. From lucrative sponsorship deals to PPV cuts, Jones was on the top of the game for a very long time.
Jones defended the light heavyweight title against Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Alexander Gustafsson, and many others. With these numerous title defenses, he would not only solidify his legacy as one of the GOATs he would make earn some of the biggest paydays of his career.
For his submission win over Quinton Jackson at UFC 135, Jones earned a fight purse of $275,000(including a $75,000 fight of the night bonus).
Jon Bones Jones would destroy Lyoto Machida in the main event of UFC 140 and earned a fight purse of $475,000. For his win over Rashad Evans at UFC 145, Jones earned $400,000.
With wins over many legends, Jon Jones was starting to look invincible inside the octagon. But the iconic rivalry with Daniel Cormier would attract the attention of fight fans like never. And it would also earn Jon Jones two of the biggest fight purses of his career.
For his first win over Daniel Cormier at UFC 182, Jon Jones earned a fight purse of $550,000 (including a $50,000 fight of the night bonus). And for the rematch, Jones earned $580,000 (including $500,000 to show, $30,000 Rebook sponsorship, $50,000 performance of the night bonus).
For his recent fights against Alexander Gustafsson (UFC 232), Thiago Santos (UFC 239), Anthony Smith(UFC 235), and Dominick Reyes (UFC 247), Jones earned $500,000 show money.
Jon Jones has been in the main events of UFC PPVs ever since he won the light heavyweight title. So it is expected that he earns a handsome amount in PPV cuts.
Daniel Cormier once admitted that he earned $3 million for each fight against Jon Jones. And it should also be noted that the Jones vs DC rematch sold 860k PPVs while the first fight sold 860k PPVs.
As per reports, Jones has earned over $7,230,000 from his fights in UFC. And this does not include the PPV shares Jones has received throughout his UFC career.