Matthew McConaughey's Abridged Version of the Article
Court Documents Unveil McGregor's Early Paydays
The first five pay-per-view (PPV) purses of Conor McGregor's UFC career have been revealed in recently unsealed court documents. The documents were made public as part of a class action suit against the UFC, with over a thousand fighters seeking damages of over £1 billion. The plaintiffs claim that the UFC engaged in unfair business practices and used exclusive contracts to acquire or block rival promoters.
McGregor's First PPV Purses
The court documents revealed the payouts for McGregor's first five PPV fights held between 2010 and 2017. His first PPV purse came in 2015 for an interim featherweight title bout against Chad Mendes, where he earned £2.1 million. McGregor went on to have a super-fight against Jose Aldo later that year, earning £3.7 million for his 13-second victory. McGregor also had two fights against Nate Diaz in 2016, earning a total of £9.1 million for the rivalry.
McGregor's Share of Event Revenue
It was also revealed that McGregor's share of event revenue was relatively small compared to the total earnings of the events. For example, McGregor received just nine percent of the total revenue from UFC 196, where he was submitted by Diaz. McGregor's largest payout before 2017 was £5.5 million for his victory over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205. However, this was only ten percent of the event's total revenue.
Jake Paul Mocks McGregor's Earnings
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul mocked McGregor's earnings in a now-deleted post. Paul, who has publicly campaigned for higher pay and better healthcare for fighters, made £30 million for three boxing bouts in 2021. He claimed to have earned the same amount in just one night against Tommy Fury in February.
McGregor's Later Fights and UFC Lawsuit
Since 2018, McGregor has headlined four more UFC PPVs and also crossed over to boxing to fight Floyd Mayweather in 2017. It is estimated that McGregor earned around £80 million for the Mayweather bout, but due to his UFC contract, he was required to share the earnings with the promotion. The UFC's class action suit is set for trial in April 2022, and they deny any wrongdoing.
