Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou: Who Is the Richest UFC Heavyweight of All Time?

Jon Bones Jones is one of the legendary fighters in the MMA circuit, known for his legacy laden with gold. While Jones dominated the light heavyweight division for most of his MMA career, he moved up to the heavyweight division recently, where he defeated Ciryl Gane at the UFC 285 for the then vacant heavyweight belt. Despite his return to the ring after 3 years, Jones showed no signs of rustiness in his skills. Just a few days ago, Jones made it public that retirement is still out of option and he plans to fight even in 2025.
Known as “The Predator," Francis Ngannou has gained expertise in two different kinds of combat sports: boxing and MMA. He rose from working in Cameroon's sand mines to becoming a fighter, while overcoming immense hardships on the way. He started his training in boxing and eventually shifted to MMA, where he garnered a lot of accolades owing to his dedication. His last match was against Renan Ferreira, where Ngannou ended the 4-match winning streak of Ferreira.

Current UFC heavyweight and two-time light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, is considered to be one of the best MMA fighters. Throughout his career, Jones has broken many records and created some new ones, like being the youngest UFC champion in 2011 at UFC 128. Having never been knocked out by anyone, Jones today stands at a position of 28-1-0 across his entire MMA career. His only defeat came from Matt Hamil in 2009. With such an impressive streak, Jones has definitely earned a lot. However, his current net worth stands at $3 million.
Despite having a good career, it was his multiple face-offs with the law as well as numerous suspensions owing to drug-related cases that have prevented him from being as wealthy as he should have been. These cases are inclusive of a car crash that involved a pregnant woman getting hurt. Jones was eventually stripped of his UFC title. Apart from this, he was found with a firearm, and he tested positive for taking cocaine. These multiple charges have stopped Jones from being one of the richest heavyweight champions in recent times.
It is to be noted that Jones was once sponsored by brands like Nike, Reebok, and MuscleTech. However, they cut ties with him post the hit-and-run case of 2015.

Francis Ngannou started boxing when he was 22. However, due to unfavorable circumstances, he had to stop his training. However, his strong will to learn the sport landed him in Paris, where he met Cameroonian mixed martial artist Fernand Lopez. Lopez took Ngannou under his wing and provided him with basic necessities to learn the art and also a place to stay. Ngannou made his MMA debut in November 2013. While initially he competed in the French promotion, 100% Fight, the Cameroonian fighter soon made his debut at the UFC in 2015. Ngannou is currently riding on a 7-match winning streak, making his stats look like 18-3-0. Recently, he also signed a multi-year exclusive deal with PFL, following his exit from the UFC. The deal gave him equity ownership in PFL’s Africa League, a 7-figure guaranteed payout per fight as well as a share of each fight’s profit. In July 2023, Ngannou was invited for a deal to fight Tyson Fury in a professional boxing match. Even though Ngannou lost to Fury in a split decision, however, the match earned him $10 million.
After a journey of lifelong struggles and obstacles, the net worth of Francis Ngannou stands at $15 million.
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It is quite clear that between the two of them, i.e., Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou, Ngannou is the richest heavyweight champion of all time.