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13th Aug 2015

Ronda Rousey elbows her way into Forbes’ top 10 highest paid female sports stars

JOE

UFC star Ronda Rousey is a new addition to the world’s top 10 highest-paid female sports starsĀ asĀ her wealth and popularity both continue to skyrocket.

The 28-year-old has appeared in three big budget movies over the past 12 months as well as pulverising the rest of the bantamweight division in UFC.

There are also plenty of tennis stars flying high on Forbes‘ 2015 list of top-earning female athletes,Ā with all but three of the top 10Ā hitting a yellow ball around the court for a living.

Maria Sharapova surprisingly tops the list, earning a cool $29.7m this year – some through prize money, but mostly from endorsements.

The full list is as follows with the top 10 banking a whopping $124m between them over the last 12 months…

1.Ā Maria Sharapova – Total earnings: $29.7 million

2014 French Open - quarterfinal

2.Ā Serena Williams – Total earnings: $24.6 million

3.Ā Caroline Wozniacki – Total earnings: $14.6 million

4.Ā Danica Patrick –Ā Total earnings: $13.9 million

5. Ana Ivanovic – Total earnings: $8.3 million

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 29:  Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in action in her LadiesĀ’s Singles first round match against Yi-Fan Xu of China during day one of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 29, 2015 in London, England.  (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)

6.Ā Petra Kvitova –Ā Total earnings: $7.7 million

7. Simona Halep –Ā Total earnings: $6.8 million

8. Ronda Rousey – Total earnings: $6.5 million

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JULY 31: UFC Strawweight Champion Ronda Rousey of the United States steps onto the scale during the UFC 190 Rousey v Correia weigh-in at HSBC Arena on July 31, 2015 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

9. Stacey Lewis – Total earnings: $6.4 million

10.Ā Agnieszka Radwanska – Total earnings: $6 million