I think a lot of UFC stars are intelligent and business savvy, but none have the strangle hold of multi-million dollar leverage like Conor McGregor does over the company.
After throttling Eddie Alvarez in the second-round of UFC 205 to win the Lightweight Championship — McGregor can now combine his Featherweight Championship to become the first simultaneous two-division champ in the history of the UFC.
With that type of Leverage and star power, combined with Ronda Rousey’s nearing exit, and Jon Jones’s inability to get right — Conor McGregor decided to pull a Mayweather style stunt — claiming that he won’t fight again unless he’s given shares of the company.
“They’ve (the UFC) got to come talk to me now, no one’s talked to me since the sale. Who owns the company now? Celebrities have shares in it now, who owns it and where’s my share? You want me to stick around, let’s talk. I want the ownership, I want what I deserve, I want what I’ve earned.
“I can keep going all day but I’m aware of my worth. Whoever runs this shit has got to come to me. I’ve outgrown the contract. You want me to stick around, bring me onboard for real. Not just as this. I need to be set for life.”
McGregor knows that UFC 205 pulled in a UFC/Madison Square Garden record $17 million at the gate, and will likely break the company record for most pay-per-view orders.
McGregor — who went on to announce that he and girlfriend Dee Devlin have a kid on the way — says he “knows his worth” and he wants his bag.
“I’m aware of my worth and now I’ve got a family,” he said. “Now I’ve got a kid on the way. I’m coming for mine now if you want me back.”
This should be interesting.