Top 100 highest-paid athletes list features Jake Paul, 5 other boxers but zero MMA fighters

The top 100 highest-paid athletes list for 2024 was released by Sportico on Wednesday features athletes across eight different sports, including six boxers, but zero MMA fighters made the cut.

The compilation includes how much players earn in salary along with estimates for endorsements and sponsorships based on various information available. The top earning athlete on the list for 2024 is soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who reportedly earned $260 million with the majority of his money coming from a whopping $215 million salary from Al Nassr, a club based out of Saudi Arabia.

When it comes to combat sports, there were no MMA fighters on the list. There are also no women’s athletes listed among the top 100.

In past years a different list compiled by Forbes has featured some prominent UFC athletes — most notably Conor McGregor, who actually ended up at No. 1 back in 2021 after he reportedly earned $180 million between fight earnings, endorsements and selling a majority share in his whiskey company Proper No. 12.

For the latest iteration of the top 100 highest-paid athletes, Tyson Fury was the highest listed boxer after he reportedly earned $147 million, which put him at No. 3 overall. Oleksandr Usyk, who defeated Fury twice this past year, came in at No. 7 with $122 million earned.

In both instances, Fury and Usyk made the majority of their money from fight purses rather than sponsorships or endorsements.

Social influencer turned boxing star Jake Paul also made the list coming it at No. 52 overall after he reportedly earned $48 million for the year, which included $38 million from his fight purses. Paul earned the additional $10 million from endorsement deals and sponsorships.

Paul had a very successful 2024, which included his showdown against Mike Tyson on Netflix that saw more than 100 million subscribers tune into watch the fight.

The rest of the boxers on the list included Canelo Alvarez (No. 20 with $73 million), Anthony Joshua (No. 30 with $60 million) and Naoya Inoue (No. 81 with $42 million).