Conor McGregor took a chance by moving up 25lbs to fight Nate Diaz on 10 days notice and many people would say that the gamble didn’t pay off now that he lost. McGregor’s record UFC purse would say differently.
McGregor earned a guaranteed $1 million for his performance at UFC 196 and he avoided a medical suspension which means he is still eligible to fight at UFC 200.
Nate Diaz pocketed a guaranteed $500,000, easily the most of his career, and received several performance bonuses. The UFC also negotiates shares of the PPV and gate with main event athletes, which means both men likely eclipsed the $1 million mark.
Holly Holm also received a guaranteed $500K for her fight, making it one of the largest purses for a woman in UFC history.
Check out the full list of UFC 196 salaries:
- Nate Diaz ($500,000 + no win bonus = $500,000) def. Conor McGregor ($1,000,000)
- Miesha Tate ($46,000 + $46,000 = $92,000) def. Holly Holm ($500,000)
- Ilir Latifi ($25,000 + $25,000 = $50,000) def. Gian Villante ($36,000)
- Corey Anderson ($20,000 + $20,000 = $40,000) def. Tom Lawlor ($28,000)
- Amanda Nunes ($28,000 + $28,000 = $56,000) def. Valentina Shevchenko ($14,000)
- Siyar Bahadurzada ($19,000 + $19,000 = $38,000) def. Brandon Thatch ($22,000)
- Nordine Taleb ($15,000 + $15,000 = $30,000) def. Erick Silva ($34,000)
- Vitor Miranda ($16,000 + $16,000 = $32,000) def. Marcelo Guimaraes ($13,000)
- Darren Elkins ($37,000 + $37,000 = $74,000) def. Chas Skelly ($21,000)
- Diego Sanchez ($75,000 + $75,000 = $150,000) def. Jim Miller ($59,000)
- Jason Saggo ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Justin Salas ($16,000)
- Teruto Ishihara ($17,000 + $17,000 = $34,000) def. Julian Erosa ($12,000)