UFC feathwerweight champion Conor McGregor predicted he would beat Jose Aldo via left counter to a hard right, within four minutes. He beat Jose Aldo via a left counter to a hard right, in 13 seconds.
At the post-fight press conference, Mystic Mac made another prediction. It was in fact the second post-fight press conference. At the first one, UFC head of PR Dave Sholler ran the media questions for a panel of main event fighters.
Then everyone left and Conor McGregor take over, by himself. He began by thanking the UFC for having done such a good job behind the scenes, adding that they don’t get enough credit for it.
He then predicted that he would surpass the fight revenue numbers set when the now retired undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao in May.
“I’m catching up. I’m only 27,” said McGregor, as transcribed by Miguel Vasquez. “Them old motherf—ers were 40 before they got that. I’m only warming up!”
“At 27 years of age, I stand here, the unified world champion. Back-to-back MGM gate records. This is trending as the highest pay-per-view, Sholler I believe said, of all time for the UFC.”
Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, shattered the previous record for total pay-per-view buys and is currently the highest-grossing pay-per-view of all time. Reports from distributors indicate that the event generated more than 4.4 million U.S. buys and more than $400 million in domestic pay-per-view revenue alone. With additional revenue from the live gate at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, international television distribution, sponsorships, closed circuit and merchandise sales, the event dgenerate in excess of $500 million in gross worldwide receipts.
The welterweight world championship unification bout nearly doubled the previous record of 2.48 million buys generated by the Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing event in 2007, and nearly tripled the record $150 million in U.S. pay-per-view revenue generated by Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez in 2013.
Live gate receipts for the star-studded event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena produced more than $71 million in revenue, dramatically eclipsing the previous live gate record of $20 million (for Mayweather vs. Canelo) for both the sport of boxing and Las Vegas.
Additionally, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao set the record for closed circuit admissions and revenue both in Las Vegas and at establishments nationwide. The event sold nearly 46,000 closed circuit admissions at MGM Resorts International properties in Las Vegas alone and was available at more than 5,000 bars, restaurants and commercial establishments throughout the U.S.
Distributed in 175 countries worldwide, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao was available in essentially 75 percent of the world’s territories, setting the revenue record for international distribution.
