Fertitta on McGregor purse: It’s business
Lorenzo Fertitta: “At the end of the day, it’s a business. Guy can literally drive numbers from an entire country… He moves the needle on Pay-Per-View.”
Conor McGregor’s initial contract with the UFC was reportedly 8/8, 12/12, 16/16. The purse stepped up of course only in the case of a win. But McGregor did win. His very first fight he won a $60,000 performance bonus. He won the next two fights too. And he won an unprecedented number of fans.
When it came time to renegotiate, thing changed radically. McGregor’s purse for his fourth fight was 75/75, to the surprise of many. ZUFFA CEO Lorenzo Fertitta appeared Wednesday on FOX Sports Live, and explained.
“At the end of the day, it’s a business,” said Fertitta, as transcribed by David St. Martin for MMAFighting. “Guy can literally drive numbers from an entire country. When Conor fights the entire country of Ireland shuts down. We get like a 60 share of the TV market there. Over 11 percent of the tickets sold in Las Vegas were from Ireland. He moves the needle on Pay-Per-View. He headlined his first event in Ireland, did a $1.4 million gate.”
“Of course, we’re going to reward guys that are successful in the Octagon and have a lot of wins and things like that, but if you can be like a GSP or be like a Brock Lesnar, who people are now comparing Conor to with the excitement that he’s bringing, then you’re going to have the ability to potentially drive a little bit harder of a negotiating bargain because you do bring that to the UFC.”
How much do you think McGregor gets for his next fight? And who do you think it will be with? Using calculatus emliminatus, it isn’t Diego Sanchez.