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Conor McGregor is undeniably the biggest star in the history of the UFC. The former two-division champion's enchanting persona mixed with his ability to sell fights has made him one of the most sought-after combat sports personalities of all time.
'The Notorious One' has always been a big draw at the box office, which only does justice to his staggering fight purse. There is no denying that McGregor is head and shoulders above his fellow UFC competitors when it comes to fetching a pretty penny. And that speaks volumes about his prevalence in the realm of MMA.
Conor McGregor is the only UFC fighter to find a place on Forbes' list of Richest Athletes in the World, which can be attributed to his hefty earnings outside of the UFC. That said, let's take a look at how much money McGregor makes from fighting in the world's leading MMA promotion.
Conor McGregor's income in the UFC
he UFC takes cognizance of various factors to determine a fighter's basic salary, which usually fluctuates depending on his/her performance. However, that might not necessarily be the case with Conor McGregor. Ever since the Irishman made his presence felt in the UFC, his stock has only soared.
In McGregor's last three fights, he has reportedly earned an average of $3.7 million per fight, excluding his share from the PPV revenue. 'The Notorious One' garnered $2,980,000 against Khabib Nurmagomedov despite his loss to the Dagestani fighter. He was also fined $50,000 for the infamous post-fight brawl with Nurmagomedov's teammates.
In his next clash against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, McGregor took home a whopping $3,060,000, which also included a performance of the night bonus and $10,000 incentive pay. The Dubliner had previously said that he would be making $80 million (including the PPV share) from the fight - a claim that still stands largely disputed.
Conor McGregor returned to the octagon after an year opposite Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. Although he succumbed to a devastating knockout loss, McGregor made $5,020,000 from the fight - highest in his professional MMA career.
Interestingly, Conor McGregor was paid a modest $8,000 as base salary in his UFC debut against Marcus Brimage in 2013. After a string of incredible performances against the likes of Max Holloway, Diego Brandao, Dustin Poirier and Dennis Siver, the Irishman's salary saw a jaw-dropping surge of 488 percent. He was paid $500,000 for his striking masterclass opposite Chad Mendes in 2015.
The UFC was forced to double McGregor's income for his highly-publicized welterweight bout against Nate Diaz, where he pocketed $1,090,000. In the rematch, he made $3,090,000, the same as his next fight against Eddie Alvarez.
Conor McGregor's overall income, however, only skyrocketed after adding up his share from the PPV revenue. Apparently, the UFC pays $7 or more to the Irishman for every PPV sold. His most recent clash at UFC 257 sold 1.6 million PPV buys, which is why he reportedly made more than $10 million from his UFC 257 PPV share.
Conor McGregor is currently earning $5 million just to show up for fights, which is expected to remain the same, or even increase, in his upcoming clash.
According to Dana White, a trilogy fight between McGregor and Poirier is in the pipeline. The UFC president said:
"When you have two guys, Dustin (Poirier) who is the number one (ranked) guy in the world, and a guy like Conor (McGregor), and they both want it that badly, you do it".
Assuming that the two lightweight superstars will lock horns for the third time, it shouldn't be surprising if the Irish fighter makes much more than he did at UFC 257. After all, their potential trilogy clash revolves around a story that is likely to get the fans invested - more than ever.
Conor McGregor has been recovering from the leg injury he endured at UFC 257. If the Irishman is successfully healed, we may see him challenge Poirier for the third time in May later this year. 'The Diamond', who currently spearheads the lightweight title contention queue, has said he wouldn't mind if the UFC decides to let Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira fight each other in a championship bout.
