UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor is in a great position after his 13 second KO over Jose Aldo at UFC 194, and it’s expected that he’ll be commanding a significantly bigger piece of the pie from the UFC moving forward. To that end, UFC chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta says he’s going to be on a path to be the UFC’s highest paid athlete ever.
In a brief comment to ESPN.com, Fertitta said that McGregor is on path to be their “first $100 millionaire,” from fight purses, bonuses, and pay-per-view earnings, though he added that’s for his entire career and assuming he continues on the winning path he’s been on.
McGregor has followed up on all of his predictions thus far in the UFC, and the 13 second win over Aldo came on the UFC’s most attended and highest drawing Las Vegas event ever. That the pay-per-view buyrate is expected to be among the highest in UFC history is further sign that he’s taken over as the UFC’s top star. It seems he’s about to be paid as such.
Penick’s Analysis: If McGregor has his way, he’ll be hitting that $100 million mark within the next couple of years, which may or may not be something the UFC is prepared to go along with. He’s an absolute must-see fighter at this point; given what he continues to do in fight after fight, backing up all of the talk, and accomplishing everything he’s set out to accomplish, he’s deserving of every dollar he can get out of the UFC. $100 million might not be too far off for him, and if he adds a Lightweight Championship on top of his Featherweight Championship in the next year or so, that could accelerate the time frame for him. He’s set the stage for himself, now it’s a matter of taking advantage of that leverage and having the UFC be willing to give him what he’s looking for.
[Photo (c) Gary A. Vasquez via USA Today Sports]
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