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Conor McGregor is the biggest money Superstar in MMA history and that's no secret. McGregor's brash, outgoing personality ad use of trash talk made him the biggest star the sport has ever seen.
That's perhaps the reason why a fighter like Jorge Masvidal, who is the next in line for a Welterweight title shot, has decided to wait and see what will happen at UFC 246 before making his next move.
UFC 229 was undoubtedly the biggest fight in MMA history, garnering an estimated 2.5 million PPV buys. It was also the most talked-about and watched fight in the history of the sport and while UFC 246 may not replicate that, McGregor may be getting a better deal.
He knows that he's the "A-side" of any fight that he's a part of and that automatically gives him higher bargaining power. Moreover, UFC knows that he doesn't fight as often as they would like. When talking to Ariel Helwai of ESPN, McGregor revealed that he expects more than just a "nice paycheck" (H/T BJPenn.com):
“I’m confident it’s going to be a nice paycheck,”
He revealed that he made approximately $50 million for the Khabib Nurmagomedov fight at UFC 229 in October 2018. He expects the most in his MMA career when facing Cerrone:
“Probably [the most ever] in my mixed martial arts career,” he added. “I’m estimating a good $80 million. Like I said we’ve got Australia and Canada and England and Ireland — it should be a good one.
“They think I’m toast, Ariel, but I’m still the bread.”
Despite his last loss, Conor McGregor remains MMA's biggest superstar. If he wins, which he's expected to do, then it'll open the doors for some interesting fights down the line. The Irishman said that he expects to be active this year.
