One suspects Conor McGregor will be getting a lot more money ‘under the line’.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission has confirmed the disclosed salaries for all those competing at UFC 229 this weekend.
Conor McGregor will earn a disclosed $3m for his lightweight title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, with no win bonus. ‘The Notorious’ gets this fee just by stepping foot in The Octagon this weekend. At the final UFC 229 press conference, McGregor told reporters:
“We’re estimating around 3 to 3.5 milllion [pay-per-view buys]. I’d say I’ll [make] close in or around the $50 million mark.
“So, for a mixed martial artist to make $50 million from a mixed martial arts bout, it’s quite breath-taking.”
Nurmagomedov, the reigning champion, will get a straight $2m for the fight and he will not receive an additional bonus, either, should he retain his belt. Both fighters will have been given an additional cut of the PPV buys so they stand to make significantly more than the base, reported sum. They also have separate sponsorship deals for the bout.
The drop-off after the headliners is significant.
Tony Ferguson is getting paid $150,000 to show with a strangely meagre win bonus of $5,000. Anthony Pettis, his opponent, is on $145k to show but could earn another $145k if he beats ‘El Cucuy’.
As per MMA Junkie, here is the total disclosed paydays for the card:
MAIN CARD
- Khabib Nurmagomedov: $2 million (no win bonus)
vs. Conor McGregor: $3 million (no win bonus) - Tony Ferguson: $150,000 to show ($5,000 to win)
vs Anthony Pettis: $145,000 to show ($145,000 to win) - Ovince Saint Preux: $86,000 to show ($86,000 to win)
vs. Dominick Reyes: $45,000 to show ($45,000 to win) - Derrick Lewis: $135,000 to show ($135,000 to win)
vs. Alexander Volkov: $75,000 to show ($75,000 to win) - Michelle Waterson: $50,000 to show ($50,000 to win)
vs. Felice Herrig: $40,000 to show ($40,000 to win)
PRELIMS
- Sergio Pettis: $46,000 to show ($46,000 to win)
vs. Jussier Silva: $43,000 to show ($43,000 to win) - Vicente Luque: $38,000 to show ($38,000 to win)
vs. Jalin Turner: $10,000 to show ($10,000 to win) - Aspen Ladd: $12,000 to show ($12,000 to win)
vs. Tonya Evinger: $30,000 to show ($30,000 to win) - Scott Holtzman: $30,000 to show ($30,000 to win)
vs. Alan Patrick: $30,000 to show ($30,000 to win)
EARLY PRELIMS
- Lina Lansberg: $20,000 to show ($20,000 to win)
vs. Yana Kunitskaya: $25,000 to show ($25,000 to win) - Grey Maynard: $54,000 to show ($54,000 to win)
vs. Nik Lentz: $50,000 to show ($50,000 to win) - Ryan LaFlare: $33,000 to show ($33,000 to win)
vs. Tony Martin: $28,000 to show ($28,000 to win)
Now, the usual disclaimer: The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, including the official UFC Athlete Outfitting sponsorship program pay. They also do not include any other “locker room” or special discretionary bonuses the UFC oftentimes pays. They also do not include pay-per-view cuts that some top-level fighters receive.
