Conor McGregor has boasted that he will make as much as $80 million from his UFC 246 main event with Donald Cerrone on Saturday night, though much of that will come in the form of ancillary payments and deals outside of the UFC.
McGregor has crowed that he's 'not the best' at keeping money, but he's the best in the MMA game at making it and this rings true when one considers the paydays he has set himself up for throughout his professional career.
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The Irishman is already by far the best-paid mixed martial artist in history and can also count himself among boxing's biggest single-day earners thanks to his money-spinning match with Floyd Mayweather two years ago.
His bottom line for his efforts in the cage on Saturday night in Las Vegas won't eclipse what he took home on that night two and a half years ago, and while McGregor has suggested to the media that he expects to earn somewhere in the region of $80 million - just $3 million of that will come as part of his bout agreement.
The rest will be tallied by undisclosed bonuses that the UFC often hands out to its fighters, as well as his cut of the pay-per-view sales and other income related to that. In addition, McGregor has a series of high-profile endorsements with major brands and owns his own brand of whiskey, Proper No. Twelve.
Also on rt.com Conor McGregor comes in at his heaviest ever UFC weight while gaunt Cerrone also hits the mark to make bout official (VIDEO)McGregor's opponent on Saturday, Donald Cerrone, will certainly come off second best in the financial stakes. 'Cowboy' is due to earn just $200,000, with that sum doubled if he wins the fight. However, his payday will likely be the most handsome of his career once extra payments and his slice of the pay-per-view sales are added.