Nevada AG office files complaints against Diaz and McGregor
Nevada Attorney General office files complaints against Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor
Historically, only a handful of UFCs sold over 1,000,000 pay per views. There were three this year, so far.
The biggest PPV in league history was UFC 202, with 1,650,000 buys, so far. Dave Meltzer, by far the best-informed journalist on the subject, points to the bottle-throwing shenanigans at the UFC 202 pre-fight media event as the source for the new record.
Three days before UFC 202 there was a news conference at the MGM Grand. When McGregor arrived late, Diaz departed. As he and his camp exit, they had words with McGregor, and Diaz tossed a water bottle.
There’s an old saying in combat, “if they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.
Diaz brought a water bottle, so McGregor brought energy drinks. He hurled several at Diaz’s friends, managing to hit a child.
The Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier shoving match had a similarly galvanizing effect on PPV buys. It is a little strange that a tiny physical tussle before an actual fight can get fans agog. However, the UFC is as real as it gets and when it gets so personal between fighters that ordinary boundaries of propriety are broken, apparently fans part more easily with their money. That is presumably the secret behind the WWE too, which is no slouch historically in the PPV business.
However, there will be a price to pay. Headliner Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz both face disciplinary action for conduct “detrimental to a contest or exhibition of unarmed combat.” Punishment from the Nevada State Athletic Commission could include a suspension and a fine.
Jones and Cormier were fined 10% of their purse and had to do community service of 40 hours and 20 hours, respectively. Jones also lost his Nike sponsorship.
In Jones and Cormier’s case, the 10% was $50,000 and $9,000 respectively. 10% would be far larger in the case of McGregor and Diaz, who made $3,000,000 and $2,000,000, respectively.