Scoring a fight with Conor McGregor doesn’t always guarantee you a “red panty night.”
Responsible for eight of the 10 highest-grossing UFC pay-per-views of all time, there is no denying that the Irish megastar brings in more money than any other fighter on the roster. Oftentimes, McGregor’s opponents reap the financial benefits of his drawing power. The former two-division champ suggested as much when he coined the infamous “red panty” phrase at a press event in 2015.
“I can make you rich, I change your bum life,” McGregor said. “You fight me, it’s a celebration. When you sign to fight me, it’s a celebration. You ring back home and ring your wife and say, ‘Baby! We done it! We’re rich baby! Conor McGregor made us rich. Break out the red panties, we’re rich baby.’… It’s red panty night when you sign to fight me“
‘Cowboy’ was paid What he ‘always got paid’ for fighting Conor McGregor
Unfortunately, that’s not true for everyone. During an appearance on legendary bull rider Dale Brisby’s podcast, UFC Hall of Famer Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone revealed that he made the same money he always did for his January 2020 clash with McGregor at UFC 246.
“Everyone thinks I got super paid on that. I did not. You’re contracted, you have a contract. It’s what it is.
“I would always sign, which is unheard of, eight-fight deals… I’m locked into that. It’s not like three fights in I can be like, ‘Time to renegotiate… because I’m fighting Conor!’ No, you still have four more fights on your contract… Everyone’s like, ‘Red panty night, you got paid!’ No I didn’t. I got paid what I always got paid.”
Donald Cerrone reveals he didn’t get a “Red Panty Night” by fighting Conor McGregor
“Everyone’s like ‘red panty night, you got paid’, no I didn’t. I got paid what I always got paid.”
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— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 23, 2024
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‘Cowboy’ made it clear that he was still paid handsomely for his services, but it was a far cry from the multi-million dollar paydays that often accompany a headliner with the biggest name in MMA history.
Conor McGregor only needed 40 seconds to finish Cerrone via knockout in their first and only meeting, climbing back into the win column for the first time since 2016. It remains his only victory following a lightweight title victory over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205.