Conor McGregor is an Irish professional fighter with a net worth of about $200 million. This large amount includes around $100 million he earned from his fight with Floyd Mayweather in August 2017, $50 million from his October 2018 match against Khabib, and $200 million before taxes from selling his whiskey brand, Proper No. Twelve, in April 2021.
We will discuss these events in more detail later. For now, we estimate that McGregor has earned around $235 million from his fighting career. Stay tuned for a complete breakdown of all his earnings.
A quick note: documents from an antitrust lawsuit against the UFC released in November 2023 showed that Conor earned $25 million from UFC fights between 2015 and 2016. From June 2018 to June 2019, he made $47 million from salaries, fight purses, and endorsements.
McGregor started his MMA career in 2007 when he was 18. He won his first amateur fight by TKO in the first round, and shortly after, he turned professional. His pro 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. After this loss, McGregor briefly considered changing careers, but his coach encouraged him to keep going in MMA.
In 2013, Dana White visited Dublin and was flooded with suggestions to sign a local fighter named Conor McGregor for the UFC. After meeting McGregor and talking about it with then-UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, they signed a deal just a few days later. McGregor made his UFC debut on April 6, 2013, against Marcus Brimage.
He struggled at first with Brimage’s aggressive style but quickly realized he could land a snap kick to both Brimage’s chest and chin. McGregor won the fight by knockout just over a minute into the first round.
In August 2013, he fought Max Holloway and won with a unanimous decision, but he also tore his ACL during the match, which kept him out of action for ten months.
When he returned to the UFC in 2014, McGregor won several fights and became a rising star, prompting Fertitta to offer him a new multi-fight contract. McGregor went on to become one of the biggest names in UFC history. By March 2024, a reboot of the classic 1980s movie “Roadhouse,” starring Conor and Jake Gyllenhaal, premiered on Prime.
Conor McGregor (Credits: Getty Images)Early Life
Conor Anthony McGregor was born on July 14, 1988, in Crumlin, Ireland. As a child, he was very interested in sports, especially soccer. But at the age of 12, he started going to the boxing gym. By 2006, when he was 17, he began a plumbing apprenticeship. During this time, he met fighter Tom Egan, who introduced him to UFC, and they quickly started training together.
At first, McGregor focused on boxing, but later he trained with John Kavanagh, the first Irish black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and his team at SBG Ireland. Before becoming a professional MMA fighter, he also tried Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Capoeira, and Kickboxing.
UFC
Conor started his amateur MMA career at 18, and he made a big impression by winning his first match with a TKO in the first round. Just weeks before entering the cage, he was facing financial struggles, living on welfare in Ireland and getting by with $235 a week from government support.
By February 2013, the UFC announced they had signed McGregor to a multi-fight deal. He became the second fighter from the Republic of Ireland to join the organization, after welterweight Tom Egan.
McGregor made his UFC debut on April 6, 2013, against Marcus Brimage, and he impressed by winning by TKO just over a minute into the first round. This win also earned him his first Knockout of the Night award.
McGregor is known for his wide stance and has mastered different fighting styles that helped him rise to the top 10. Many fans consider his quick straight-arm left jab one of his deadliest moves. His journey as a foreign-born UFC fighter has been incredible.
Conor McGregor (Credits: Getty Images)In 2020, despite rumors about his retirement, McGregor was set for a rematch with Dustin Poirier, which happened on January 24, 2021. Unfortunately, he suffered his first knockout loss in that fight and was given a six-month medical suspension.
The two met again on July 10, 2021, at UFC 264, where McGregor lost by technical knockout in the first round after breaking his tibia. While recovering, it was announced that he would return as a coach for The Ultimate Fighter 31, facing Michael Chandler.
Conor McGregor’s Biggest UFC Paydays
On July 11, 2015, Conor earned $3.285 million after defeating Chad Mendes at UFC 189. Then, on December 11, 2015, he made $4.5 million for his fast 13-second win over Jose Aldo. On March 5, 2016, he reportedly earned $5.6 million in his fight against Nate Diaz at UFC 196, and he earned the same amount again when they fought at UFC 202. In November 2016, he earned about $7 million for fighting Eddie Alvarez.
When he fought Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018, McGregor’s earnings were estimated at $50 million.
On January 18, 2020, McGregor made a big impact by defeating Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in his much-anticipated UFC return. 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 make over $80 million from the Cerrone fight. Cerrone was guaranteed $2 million just to fight.
Then, on January 23, 2021, McGregor faced Dustin Poirier and lost. He was again guaranteed $5 million, but this loss cost him a big payday by putting a future fight with Khabib on hold.
Conor McGregor (Credits: Getty Images)Floyd Mayweather Fight Earnings
On August 26, 2017, Conor made the jump from the MMA cage to the boxing ring, fighting the undefeated champion Floyd Mayweather. This match became one of the biggest pay-per-view events ever, with 4.3 million buys.
Conor was guaranteed $30 million just for stepping into the ring. When you include pay-per-view bonuses, merchandise sales, and other earnings, his total income from the fight went over $100 million. The excitement around this match also helped him earn around $14 million in endorsements that year from brands like Burger King, Beats by Dre, and Anheuser-Busch.
If we assume Conor lost about half of his earnings to taxes, that $100 million would leave him with a net worth of about $85 million after the fight with Floyd.
Had Conor managed to win against Mayweather, it could have led to a rematch, possibly giving him another huge payday. It’s not hard to imagine that he could have negotiated at least 50% of the revenue for a future fight, which might have meant earning between $200 million and $300 million.
Conor McGregor (Credits: Getty Images)$600 Million Whiskey Company Sale
In September 2018, McGregor launched the Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey brand in both Ireland and the U.S. Before the launch, he partnered with Proximo Spirits, which bought a 20% share in the business. Proximo is a well-known company that owns Jose Cuervo tequila. By mid-2020, Proximo decided to increase its involvement and paid $250 million to raise their stake to 49%.
In April 2021, McGregor and his partners sold the remaining 51% of Proper No. Twelve to Proximo Spirits. The deal could be worth as much as $600 million, which includes the $250 million the founders earned from the previous deal with Proximo. If everything goes well, Conor could eventually make a total of $200 million from Proper No. Twelve.
Road House Salary
Conor earned more than $5.5 million for appearing alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the “Road House” reboot that was released on Prime. He made sure to mention “over $5.5 million” because he wanted to break the record for the highest salary given to an athlete for their first acting role, surpassing the $5.5 million that The Rock received in 2001 for “The Mummy Returns.”
Conor McGregor (Credits: Getty Images)Personal Life
Conor McGregor has been with his fiancée, Dee Devlin, since 2008, and they have three children together. He is a Catholic and has two sisters named Erin and Aoife.
Conor McGregor’s incredible journey from living on welfare to becoming a multimillionaire highlights his achievements in both the UFC and his business ventures. With a net worth of around $200 million, his earnings come from major fights, including his record-breaking match 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 earned him significant paydays, with big earnings from fights against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Eddie Alvarez. His business mindset continues to grow, and McGregor remains one of the most influential figures in combat sports and beyond.