The UFC has some of the toughest MMA fighters, including the Aussie champion, Alexander Volkanovski. The Australian has been shifting categories and has had a fantastic run.
But how much did Volkanovski make a fight? What is his net worth?
Find out as we go through some of his highest career earnings.
Volkanovski’s ‘Knockout’ Biography Round
Alexander Volkanovski is an Australian MMA fighter and the current champion of the UFC Featherweight category.
Even though he was born in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, his parents are non-Aussies. His mother is of Greek descent, whereas his father was born in a small village in Macedonia.
He started a bit later than most MMA fighters but quickly caught up with the rest and surpassed many. Before the MMA, he was a pro boxer (2015) and a former Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) in the Featherweight division.
Interestingly, the no. 1 MMA fighter in men’s pound-for-pound rank (2022) has other sports too on his resume:
- Greco-Roman wrestling (until he was 14 years);
- He was a semi-professional rugby player (as a front rower), where he won multiple awards and left the league at 23.
Afterwards, he started appearing in Middleweight amateur fights before tuning up his rugby weight (214 pounds) where it’s supposed to be.
Eventually, this weight adjustment led him from one division to another:
- Welterweight (2012 to 2013)
- Lightweight (2014 to 2016)
- Featherweight (2014 til now).
‘The Great’ Alexander has many fights under his belt. His Featherweight winning stats showcase:
- 22 fights with streak wins
- 12 fight wins by knockout
- 7 first-round finishes, etc.
Also read: What is the pay for MMA referees?
A UFC Champion Payout: How Much Did Volkanovski Make?
The first Australian in the UFC, Alexander Volkanovski, net worth in 2022 is estimated at around 3.5 million.
Now let’s look at some of his UFC career earnings per fight.
1. UFC 232: Alexander Volkanovski vs Chad Mendes
- Place: The Forum, Inglewood, California, US
- Date: December 30th, 2018
- Total Earned: $180.000
Volkanovski used the opportunity at the UFC 232 main card fight and went from a prospect to a contender overnight. The Great made the right decision to call out Mendes for a Featherweight verification and secured a spot in the top 5 in the division.
Though their style matched more or less, Volkanovski’s explosiveness, excellent fit shape, and speed outmatched Mendes in every possible way.
Ultimately Alexander defeated Chad with TKO punches in the second round. Consequently, the victory over Mendes put Volkanovski from being ranked 10 to 18-2. On the contrary, from being ranked 5, Mendes went down to 18-5.
Volkanovski’s fight statistics overview:
- 124 total strikes
- 54 significant strikes
- 1 knockdown.
After the fight, Volkanovski added some more money to his bank account:
- $50.000 – ‘Fight of the Night’ Bonus
- $60.000 – Victory Bonus
- $65.000 – ‘To Show’ Bonus
- $5.000 – Fight Week Incentive Pay.
2. UFC 237: Alexander Volkanovski vs Jose Aldo
- Place: Jeunesse Arena, Rio de Janerio, Brazil
- Date: May 11th, 2019
- Total Earned: $140.000
The undefeated Great Aussie met Jose Aldo, widely known as Rio’s King and a former Featherweight champ, in the Octagon in Brazil. Jose thought he had figured out Volkanovski’s fighting style and found some loopholes in his game – he got fooled.
Alexander went all in and showed massive domination in all three rounds by defeating him unanimously.
These are Volkanovski’s stats/strikes he threw to defeat Aldo on his own territory:
- 129 total strikes (60 per cent)
- 95 significant strikes
With 68 per cent, round 3 was under Volkanovski’s complete control.
UFC 237 lifted Alexander as a much higher-profile fighter and increased his earnings too:
- $70.000 – ‘To Show Up’ pay
- $65.000 – Victory bonus
- $5.000 – Fight Week Incentive bonus.
Also read: Who is the most-paid UFC fighter?
3. UFC 245: Alexander Volkanovski vs Max Holloway 1
- Place: T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, US
- Date: December 14th, 2019
- Total Earned: $280.000
Volkanovski met Max in the Octagon for the first time and ended his 2.5 years as the Featherweight Champion. The Great stole the show, i.e., the fight, which was quite spectacular and intense.
Volkanovski took home a victory by unanimous decision in 5 rounds and a Featherweight title too.
These are Volkanovski’s fight statistics that stripped Holloway of the champion title:
- 337 total strikes
- and 199 significant strikes.
Volkanovski dominated the fight — by taking things under control in 4 out of 5 rounds:
- Round 1 – 48 per cent
- Round 2 – 58 per cent
- Round 3 – 55 per cent
- Round 5 – 50 per cent.
Furthermore, this fight also awarded Volkanovski with the following:
- $30.000 – Sponsorship earnings
- $30.000 – Fight Week Incentive
- $250.000 – Base salary.
4. UFC 251: Alexander Volkanovski vs Max Holloway 2
- Place: du Forum (Yas Island) – Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Date: July 12th, 2020
- Total Earned: $1.17 million
Volkanovski’s biggest MMA fight payout was $1.17m (2020) at the UFC 251 as the second-main event to Kamaru’s and Jorge’s main one.
Alexander won in a split-decision victory, and though he had constant control over the fight, Holloway still didn’t make things easy.
It was an intense fight/a re-match that produced high-score stats for ‘The Great’:
- 139 total strikes
- 50 per cent significant strikes
- 3 takedowns
- 64 significant head strikes
- 6 body strikes
- 67 leg strikes
- and 1 clinch.
Moreover, Volkanovski not only managed to defend his Featherweight Championship title but also got a big fat check out of it:
- $350.000 – Base Salary
- $1.300.000 – PPV buys
- $783.333 – (estimated) PPV Payout
- $40.000 – Fight Week Incentive
- $42.000 – Sponsorship earnings.
Also read: Which sport makes the most money?
5. UFC 273: Alexander Volkanovski vs The Korean Zombie
- Place: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena – Jacksonville, Florida, US
- Date: April 9th, 2022
- Total Earned: $642.000
With the UFC 273 Main Card fight, Volkanovski defended his champion title for the second time. At the same time, the Korean Chan Sung Jung failed to be crowned a Featherweight Champion once again (he also lost in 2013).
The Korean Zombie went all in, but that wasn’t good enough against ‘The Great’ Volkanovski – who won the fight unanimously.
The fight statistics show that all 4 rounds were under Volkanovski’s control:
- 152 total strikes (67 per cent)
- 4 takedowns (50 per cent)
- 138 significant strikes
- 1 knockdown (round 3).
The exploding fast punches that destroyed Jung’s guard brought Alexander some splendid digits:
- $50.000 – ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus;
- $20.000 – ‘Fan Bonus’ (bitcoin bonus);
- $500.000 – Base Salary
- $42.000 – Sponsorship earnings
- $5.000 – Fight Week Incentive
- $65.000 – Win Bonus.
6. UFC 266: Alexander Volkanovski vs Brian Ortega
- Place: T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, Nevada, US
- Date: September 25th, 2021
- Total Earned: $792.000
Volkanovski managed to keep his Featherweight Championship title by beating Brian with a unanimous decision.
In just five rounds, much jabbing, lots of footwork, and a lot of sharp punches, the UFC 266, brought Alexander the ‘Fight of the Night‘ award. Ortega didn’t stand a chance against the mighty Volkanovski:
- 229 total strikes;
- 2 rev.
- 214 significant strikes.
Consequently, the award came alongside a sweet performance bonus of $50.000, plus the following:
- $300.000 – Base salary
- $450.000 – Pay-per-View (PPV) revenue
- $42.000 – Sponsorship and incentive earnings.
Also read: How many people watch the UFC?
Final Words
Besides engraving and lifting his name in the highest UFC/MMA ranks, how much did Volkanovski make?
The fights mentioned point to various digits. The lowest is the UFC 237 ($140.000) against Aldo. However, Alexander Volkanovski’s largest payout was the UFC 251 ($1.17m) after the re-match with the Blessed.