Anderson Silva is widely considered MMA’s top pound-for-pound athlete, in the same vein that Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant are considered the crème de la crème of their own sports.
Yes, it’s still Woods and Bryant. This is regardless of the competition and adversity the two athletes have faced and continue to deal with both in and outside of their sports.
It’s true that Woods and Bryant play and earn in the same category of sports that requires handling certain spheres, though officially different in size and bounce. And, more relevant to our story at hand, these two share top billing among the Top 50 highest-paid athletes in the world—with Woods reigning at No. 1 and Bryant at No. 2.
The following excerpt is from Kurt Badenhausen’s article on Forbes.com in 2011:
Yet Tiger Woods is still the highest-paid athlete in the world–and it isn’t even a close call. Woods earned $75 million over the past 12 months, easily outdistancing second-ranked Kobe Bryant, who made $53 million.
Woods can thank two long-term sponsors for his hefty income. Nike signed Woods to a five-year, $40 million deal when he turned pro in 1998. Electronic Arts released its first “Tiger Woods PGA Tour” videogame in 1998.
Our earnings figures are derived from salaries, bonuses, prize money, appearance fees, licensing and endorsement income in the 12 months ending May 1 [2011].
The minimum to make the [2011] list was $18.8 million…
Closer to home in boxing, MMA’s kindred in professional combat sports, Manny Pacquiao is 24th with $25 million.
That Pacquiao is the only boxer on the list must be consolation enough for MMA fans. After all, this is proof that boxing is now only one athlete ahead of MMA when it comes to the top 50 unconscionably rich athletes (right?).
How our best and most popular fighters fare in terms of income derived from MMA, directly (from fight earnings) or indirectly (from corporate sponsorships, etc.), vis-à-vis the top athletes of other sports is a strong gauge on how near or far our sport is towards “mainstreamhood.” And there are, of course, other means of measurement while waiting for, and hopefully finding, Godot.
Silva was said to have an estimated net worth of $4.5 million in 2011. It remains to be seen how far, how long and how much more Silva—who’s been UFC Middleweight Champion since 2006—stands to gain from the UFC and his sponsors Burger King, Nike, soccer team Sport Club Corinthians Paulista and other prospective gold mines.
Disclaimer: This article is not a takeoff from Quinton Jackson’s rampaging assertion in his March 9, 2012 tweet that “the ufc makes billions off us all over the world,n pay us chump change! Boxers r boring but making buckets of money,THINK!”
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