Conor McGregor, an Irish professional fighter, boasts a net worth of $200 million, with notable contributions including the hefty $100 million payout from his August 2017 clash with Floyd Mayweather, a $50 million sum from his October 2018 bout against Khabib, and an impressive $200 million pre-tax earnings from the sale of his whiskey brand, Proper No. Twelve, in April 2021.
| Category | Richest Athletes › MMA |
|---|---|
| Net Worth | $200 Million |
| Birthdate | Jul 14, 1988 (35 years old) |
| Birthplace | Dublin |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.75 m) |
| Profession | Mixed Martial Artist |
| Nationality | Republic of Ireland |
Further details on these milestones will be elaborated later in this article. His cumulative career earnings from fighting stand at an estimated $235 million as of the current update. Detailed breakdowns of McGregor’s various paydays will follow. However, it’s worth noting that according to documents revealed in an antitrust lawsuit against the UFC in November 2023, McGregor amassed a total of $25 million from his UFC fights between 2015 and 2016. Additionally, between June 2018 and June 2019, McGregor pocketed $47 million from salaries, purses, and endorsements.
McGregor’s journey in MMA commenced in 2007 at the age of 18, where he clinched victory in his amateur debut via TKO in the inaugural round, subsequently transitioning into the professional arena. Making his professional MMA debut in March 2008 in the lightweight division, McGregor faced Gary Morris and secured triumph with a second-round TKO.
Following this success, he notched another victory before transitioning to the featherweight division, encountering his first setback. Despite contemplating an alternate career path post-defeat, McGregor was persuaded by his coach to persist in MMA.
In 2013, during a visit to Dublin, Dana White was inundated with recommendations to sign a local fighter named Conor McGregor to the UFC. After a meeting with McGregor and discussions with then-UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, McGregor was promptly signed to the UFC. His UFC debut transpired on April 6, 2013, against Marcus Brimage, where despite early struggles against his aggressive adversary, McGregor strategically executed a snap kick to Brimage’s chest and chin, clinching victory via knockout just over a minute into the first round.
McGregor’s journey in the UFC continued, punctuated by triumphs and a brief hiatus due to an ACL tear in August 2013, sidelining him for ten months. Returning in 2014, McGregor ascended the ranks with multiple victories, culminating in a new multi-fight contract. His meteoric rise positioned him as arguably the most prominent figure in UFC history. Notably, in March 2024, McGregor starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in a reboot of the 1980s film “Roadhouse,” which premiered on Prime.
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Early Life
Conor Anthony McGregor was born on July 14, 1988, in Crumlin, Ireland. As a child, he excelled at sports, especially soccer, but at 12 began training at a boxing club. In 2006, at the age of 17, Conor began a plumbing apprenticeship. It was through this job that he was introduced to the sport of UFC by fighter Tom Egan. Egan and McGregor soon began training together.
McGregor was originally trained in boxing and went on to train under John Kavanagh, the first Irish person to achieve a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and his team at SBG Ireland. He has also trained in Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Capoeira, and Kickboxing prior to competing in professional MMA.
UFC
Conor made his amateur MMA debut a year later at the age of 18. He won his debut match by TKO in the first round. Just a few weeks before his MMA debut, Conor was so broke that he was on welfare in Ireland and collecting $235 per week in government assistance checks.
In February 2013, the UFC announced that they had signed McGregor to a multi-fight contract. At the time, he was the second fighter from the Republic of Ireland to fight for the company, following welterweight Tom Egan. McGregor made his UFC debut against Marcus Brimage on April 6, 2013, and was successful in his first bout, winning via TKO just over a minute into the first round. The win also earned McGregor his first Knockout of the Night award.
McGregor is a wide-stance striker who has also successfully developed a wide range of other combat forms to succeed and rise into the top 10. Some say his most effective move is his fast straight-arm left jab. McGregor had an amazing rise for a foreign born UFC fighter.
Despite talks of retirement in 2020, McGregor was booked in a rematch of his 2014 bout with Dustin Poirier to take place on January 24, 2021. He lost the match in the first knockout defeat of his career and was handed a six-month medical suspension. He faced Poirier a third time on July 10, 2021, at UFC 264 and lost the fight via technical knockout in round one after the fight was stopped due to McGregor’s broken tibia. While recovering from the leg injury, it was announced McGregor would coach in The Ultimate Fighter 31 for the second time, this time against Michael Chandler.
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Conor McGregor’s Biggest UFC Paydays
On July 11, 2015, Conor earned $3.285 million when he defeated Chad Mendes at UFC 189. On December 11th, 2015, Conor earned $4.5 million, defeating Jose Aldo in 13 seconds. On March 5, 2016, Conor reportedly earned $5.6 million when he fought Nate Diaz at UFC 196. He reportedly earned another $5.6 million when he fought Nate Diaz again at UFC 202. He earned around $7 million fighting Eddie Alvarez in November 2016.
Conor reportedly earned an estimated $50 million fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018.
On January 18, 2020, Conor defeated Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in his much-anticipated return to the UFC. Conor was guaranteed $5 million for the fight, a record for the UFC up to that point. He has intimated in interviews that if Pay Per View sales go well, his earnings from the Cerrone fight could conceivably top $80 million. Cerrone was guaranteed $2 million to show up.
On January 23, 2021, Conor lost to Dustin Poirier. Once again, Conor was guaranteed $5 million. The loss effectively cost Conor an enormous future payday by killing another match against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Floyd Mayweather Fight Earnings
On August 26, 2017, Conor switched from the MMA cage to a boxing ring when he faced off against undefeated champion Floyd Mayweather. The fight was one of the most lucrative PPV events of all time, generating 4.3 million buys.
Conor was guaranteed $30 million for the fight. With PPV bonuses, merch sales, and other earnings, Conor’s total gross take from the fight topped $100 million. Thanks largely to the hype produced by this fight, Conor was also able to earn around $14 million in 2017 thanks to endorsements with companies like Burger King, Beats by Dre, Anheuser-Busch, and more.
If you assume Conor lost around 50% of his earnings to taxes, $100 million gross earnings left him with a net worth of $85 million after the Floyd fight.
Had Conor (against all odds) beaten Mayweather, it would have set up a rematch where Conor could have earned another absolutely massive payday. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that he would have been able to demand a minimum of 50% of revenue from a future fight. That would theoretically have resulted in a $200-$300 million payday.
On September 20, 2018, Conor announced that he had signed an 8-fight deal with the UFC. The terms of the deal were not revealed, but it’s likely worth at least $200 million on the very low end.
$600 Million Whiskey Company Sale
In September of 2018, McGregor launched the Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey brand in Ireland and the United States. Before they launched, the partners brought on liquor company Proximo Spirits as a 20% equity partner. Proximo is best known for owning Jose Cuervo tequila. In mid-2020, Proximo paid $250 million to increase its ownership stake to 49%.
In April 2021, McGregor and his business partners sold their remaining combined 51% stake in Proper No. Twelve to Proximo Spirits. The total value of the deal could ultimately be $600 million, and that number includes the $250 million that the three founders had earned in the previous year from the previously-mentioned deal with Proximo. All in, if every milestone is met over the long term”, Conor will have made $200 million in total from Proper No. Twelve.
Road House Salary
Conor was paid over $5.5 million to star opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in the reboot of “Road House,” which debuted on Prime. The reason he specifically said “over $5.5 million” is because he wanted to claim the title of largest salary paid to an athlete for a first-time acting role and $5.5 million is what The Rock earned in 2001 for “The Mummy Returns.”
Personal Life
Conor McGregor has been in a relationship with his fiancée, Dee Devlin, since 2008. The couple has three children together. He is Catholic and has two sisters, Erin and Aoife.
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