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It was recently reported that Conor McGregor would bank a whopping $5 million for his Welterweight fight against Donald Cerrone, which is set to headline UFC 246 this Saturday night (Jan. 18, 2020) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
But according to “Notorious,” that’s not even close to what he’ll score once the final numbers are tallied. To hear his side of the story, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champ-champ is set to make around $80 million for his comeback bout.
“I’m confident it’s going to be a nice paycheck. Probably (most ever) in my mixed martial arts (MMA) career,” he said during his interview with ESPN. “Yeah, I’d say about, it could be, I’m estimating a good $80 million.”
Obviously, McGregor is set to get some kind of percentage from the ESPN+ buys, though details as to exactly how much he gets from that are kept under wraps. Plus, there is no telling what kind of other financial arrangements he has with UFC.
But for those who may think $80 million is a stretch, he also revealed he banked $50 million for his Lightweight title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in 2018.
That said, UFC 229 had so much drama, intrigue and hype leading into it because of their bitter hatred toward each other. And once fight night rolled around the event delivered on all fronts, becoming the promotion’s highest-earning event ever.
And while his return is highly-anticipated, UFC 246 hasn’t had near the buzz of UFC 229. Then again, perhaps the $80 million he claims he’s earning has nothing to do with how well the event does, since the deal apparently was already determined long ago.
Plus, you also have to take into consideration McGregor’s numerous endorsements. Nevertheless, McGregor is still the biggest earner in the history of the sport and he says if his critics and haters are having trouble swallowing that fact, then so be it.
”They think I am toast Ariel, but I’m still the bread.”
In comparison, Cerrone is set to earn his biggest payday to date, as it was reported he’ll take home a $2 million check for his efforts.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 246 fight card this weekend RIGHT HERE, starting with the Fight Pass/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
To check out the latest and greatest “McGregor vs. Cerrone” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the entire UFC 246 fight card and PPV line up click here.