Conor McGregor’s billion-dollar empire away from the UFC octagon

Conor McGregor is a unique figure in the fighting game, coming from a town in Ireland and making it on the biggest stage in America.

The former UFC champion single-handedly took the UFC to another level, creating some of the biggest fights and historic sports crossover events.

Despite the success of his UFC career, becoming a two-weight world champion at the same time, McGregor and other UFC fighters have not been fairly compensated for the sacrifice they make.

As of 2022, the UFC made revenue of $1.14 billion and made a net profit of $387 million. Despite the revenue being over one billion dollars, fighters were only paid out $146 million total.

This means the UFC paid 13% of its annual revenue to fighters. In comparison, the NBA, NHL, and MLB pay out 50% or more of their annual revenue to their athletes.

With the pay being so low for the sacrifice and bodily harm the athletes put themselves through, McGregor's business mind allowed him to escape from the money of the UFC.

McGregor earned $170,000 between 2013 and 2015, which increased to $13.3 million after the Irishman became the box office name and the two-time world champion.

His crossover fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2017 was a money maker for McGregor, with the fight generating $600 million and McGregor taking between $85 million and $130 million.

According to Forbes, McGregor had moved from 24^th on the highest-paid athlete list in 2017 ($34 million) to fourth in 2018, worth $99 million.

At the time of his jump in 2018, the Irishman created his first major businesses, creating Proper 12 Whiskey and August McGregor, a clothing brand.

As his career in the UFC started to slow down, McGregor's business ventures picked up, founding McGregor FAST, TIDL Sport, and purchasing a pub called The Black Forge Inn in 2020.

The Irishman has since sold Proper 12, selling a 51% share in the company for $600 million after the company sold 200,000 bottles in the first six months.

McGregor's new business ventures away from the Octagon made the Irish champion the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2021, earning $180 million.

According to huddleup.com, as of May 2023, McGregor is the 33rd-highest-paid athlete of all time, with over $600 million in career earnings, beating out Magic Johnson, Serena Williams, and Rory McIlroy.

His most recent project is his stout company called 'Forged Irish Stout,' which he set up in 2023. The company has been in UK supermarkets since the start of August this year.

With the introduction of a new company this year, the McGregor empire is only going to get bigger. With his success so far, the Irishman is set to become a billionaire, a long way from cage fighting in Dublin.