The 2024 Sportico list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes features no MMA fighters or women, with Cristiano Ronaldo leading at $260 million, primarily from his salary, and Tyson Fury as the highest-earning boxer at $147 million.
Sportico dropped its top 100 highest-paid athletes list for 2024 on Wednesday. The list spans eight sports, spotlighting six boxers but, surprisingly, no MMA fighters.
This compilation considers salaries and estimates from endorsements and sponsorships. Leading the pack? Soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo, raking in $260 million! Most of it—$215 million—from his Saudi club, Al Nassr.
Combat sports fans might be bummed: no MMA fighters made the cut. Also missing? Women athletes. Not a single one in the top 100.
Flashback to past years: Forbes had UFC stars like Conor McGregor on their lists. Remember when he topped it in 2021 with $180 million? Fights, endorsements, and a big whiskey deal did the trick.
In this year’s ranking, Tyson Fury leads the boxing charge at No. 3 with $147 million. Oleksandr Usyk follows at No. 7 after earning $122 million, having bested Fury twice this year.
Both Fury and Usyk pocketed most of their earnings from fight purses. Endorsements? Not so much.
And Jake Paul? He cracked the list at No. 52, pulling in $48 million—$38 million from fights alone! The rest came from savvy endorsements.
Paul’s year was epic, highlighted by his Netflix showdown with Mike Tyson. Over 100 million subscribers watched that spectacle!
Other boxers who made waves include Canelo Alvarez (No. 20 with $73 million), Anthony Joshua (No. 30 with $60 million), and Naoya Inoue (No. 81 with $42 million).