Conor McGregor's $200 Million Net Worth: How He Built His Fortune

Conor McGregor's $200 Million Net Worth: How He Built His Fortune.

What is Conor McGregor's net worth and career earnings?

Conor McGregor is an Irish pro fighter with a net worth of around $200 million. This impressive figure includes about $100 million he made from his fight with Floyd Mayweather in August 2017, $50 million from his October 2018 bout against Khabib, and a whopping $200 million before taxes from selling his whiskey brand, Proper No. Twelve, in April 2021.

We’ll dive deeper into these events later on. As of now, we estimate his total career earnings from fighting to be about $235 million. Stick around for a full breakdown of all the paydays Conor has had. Just a quick note: documents from an antitrust lawsuit against the UFC released in November 2023 revealed that Conor earned a total of $25 million from his UFC fights between 2015 and 2016. From June 2018 to June 2019, he raked in $47 million from salaries, fight purses, and endorsements.

McGregor kicked off his MMA career in 2007 when he was just 18. He won his first amateur fight by TKO in the first round, and soon after, he turned pro. His professional debut was in March 2008 in the lightweight division, where he faced Gary Morris and won by TKO in the second round. After that, he won his second fight but then moved to the featherweight division, where he faced his first loss. Following that setback, McGregor briefly thought about switching careers, but his coach encouraged him to stay in the MMA game.

In 2013, Dana White visited Dublin and was bombarded with suggestions to sign a local fighter named Conor McGregor for the UFC. After meeting McGregor and discussing it with then-UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, they inked a deal just a few days later. McGregor made his UFC debut on April 6, 2013, facing off against Marcus Brimage.

He had a tough time at first with Brimage's aggressive style but quickly figured out he could land a snap kick to both Brimage's chest and chin. McGregor ended up winning the fight by knockout just over a minute into the first round. In August 2013, he fought Max Holloway and secured a unanimous decision victory, but he also tore his ACL during that match, sidelining him for ten months.

When he returned to the UFC in 2014, he racked up several wins and became a rising star, leading Fertitta to offer him a new multi-fight contract. McGregor eventually became one of the biggest names in UFC history. Fast forward to March 2024, and a reboot of the classic 1980s film "Roadhouse," featuring Conor and Jake Gyllenhaal, premiered on Prime.

Early Life

Conor Anthony McGregor was born on July 14, 1988, in Crumlin, Ireland. Growing up, he was really into sports, especially soccer, but at the age of 12, he started hitting the boxing gym. By 2006, when he was 17, he kicked off a plumbing apprenticeship. It was during this time that he met fighter Tom Egan, who introduced him to UFC, and they quickly started training together.

Initially, McGregor focused on boxing but later trained with John Kavanagh, the first Irish black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and his crew at SBG Ireland. Before diving into professional MMA, he also dabbled in Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Capoeira, and Kickboxing.

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UFC

Conor kicked off his amateur MMA career at 18, and he made quite the entrance by winning his first match with a TKO in the opening round. Just weeks before stepping into the cage, he was struggling financially, relying on welfare in Ireland and getting by on $235 a week from government support.

Fast forward to February 2013, and the UFC revealed they had signed McGregor to a multi-fight deal. He became the second fighter from the Republic of Ireland to join the organization, following welterweight Tom Egan. McGregor made his UFC debut on April 6, 2013, against Marcus Brimage, and he didn’t disappoint, winning by TKO just over a minute into the first round. This victory also snagged him his first Knockout of the Night award.

Known for his wide stance, McGregor has also mastered various combat styles that helped him climb into the top 10. Many fans highlight his quick straight-arm left jab as one of his most lethal weapons. His journey as a foreign-born UFC fighter has been nothing short of remarkable.

Even with retirement rumors swirling in 2020, McGregor was set for a rematch with Dustin Poirier, which took place on January 24, 2021. Unfortunately, he faced his first knockout loss in that fight and ended up with a six-month medical suspension. The two met again on July 10, 2021, at UFC 264, where McGregor lost via technical knockout in the first round after suffering a broken tibia. While he was on the mend, it was announced that he would return as a coach for The Ultimate Fighter 31, this time going up against Michael Chandler.

Conor McGregor's Biggest UFC Paydays

On July 11, 2015, Conor raked in $3.285 million after taking down Chad Mendes at UFC 189. Fast forward to December 11, 2015, and he pocketed $4.5 million for his lightning-fast 13-second victory over Jose Aldo. Then, on March 5, 2016, he reportedly earned $5.6 million in his bout against Nate Diaz at UFC 196, and he made the same amount again when they faced off at UFC 202. In November 2016, he scored about $7 million for fighting Eddie Alvarez.

When he went up against Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018, Conor's earnings were estimated at a whopping $50 million.

On January 18, 2020, Conor made a big splash by defeating Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in his highly anticipated UFC comeback. He was guaranteed $5 million for that fight, which was a record at the time. He hinted in interviews that if Pay Per View sales were strong, he could potentially earn over $80 million from the Cerrone matchup. Cerrone was guaranteed $2 million just to show up.

Then, on January 23, 2021, Conor faced off against Dustin Poirier and lost. He was again guaranteed $5 million, but this defeat cost him a huge payday by putting a future fight with Khabib on ice.

Floyd Mayweather Fight Earnings

On August 26, 2017, Conor made the leap from the MMA cage to the boxing ring, going head-to-head with the undefeated champion Floyd Mayweather. This showdown turned out to be one of the biggest pay-per-view events ever, racking up 4.3 million buys.

Conor was set to earn a cool $30 million just for stepping into the ring. When you factor in pay-per-view bonuses, merchandise sales, and other income, his total earnings from the fight soared past $100 million. The buzz around this match also helped him rake in about $14 million in endorsements that year from brands like Burger King, Beats by Dre, and Anheuser-Busch.

If we assume Conor lost around half of his earnings to taxes, that $100 million gross would leave him with a net worth of about $85 million after the fight with Floyd.

Had Conor somehow pulled off a win against Mayweather, it could have opened the door for a rematch, potentially leading to another massive payday. It’s not far-fetched to think he could have negotiated at least 50% of the revenue for a future bout, which might have meant a payday between $200 million and $300 million.

On September 20, 2018, Conor revealed that he had inked an 8-fight deal with the UFC. While the specifics of the deal weren't disclosed, it's probably worth at least $200 million on the low end.

$600 Million Whiskey Company Sale

In September 2018, McGregor kicked off the Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey brand in both Ireland and the U.S. Before the launch, he teamed up with Proximo Spirits, which took a 20% stake in the venture. Proximo is well-known for owning Jose Cuervo tequila. By mid-2020, Proximo decided to up their game and paid $250 million to boost their ownership to 49%.

Fast forward to April 2021, McGregor and his partners sold their remaining 51% stake in Proper No. Twelve to Proximo Spirits. The deal could be worth up to $600 million, which includes the $250 million the founders made from the earlier deal with Proximo. If all goes according to plan in the long run, Conor could end up pocketing a total of $200 million from Proper No. Twelve.

Road House Salary

Conor raked in more than $5.5 million to share the screen with Jake Gyllenhaal in the "Road House" reboot that hit Prime. He made a point to mention "over $5.5 million" because he aimed to snag the record for the highest paycheck given to an athlete for their debut acting gig, surpassing the $5.5 million that The Rock got back in 2001 for "The Mummy Returns."

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Personal Life

Conor McGregor has been with his fiancée, Dee Devlin, since 2008, and they have three kids together. He’s a Catholic and has two sisters named Erin and Aoife.

Conor McGregor's remarkable journey from welfare to multimillionaire showcases his success in both the UFC and business ventures. With a net worth of approximately $200 million, his earnings come from high-profile fights, including his record-breaking showdown with Floyd Mayweather, as well as the sale of his whiskey brand, Proper No.

Twelve, for a reported $600 million. McGregor's UFC career has brought him major paydays, with notable earnings from fights against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Eddie Alvarez. His entrepreneurial spirit continues to grow, and McGregor remains one of the most influential figures in combat sports and beyond.