Although many pundits question whether or not Conor McGregor would continue his UFC career if he is afforded the opportunity to box Floyd Mayweather, his coach doesn’t think he’s exiting MMA anytime soon.
A bout between two of the top champions in their respective disciplines would surely generate a financial windfall, especially in relativity to McGregor’s past paydays. His largest disclosed UFC purse was $3 million for his second fight with Nate Diaz.
McGregor’s purse for UFC 205 in New York wasn’t disclosed, but is rumored to have been $5 million. That would make sense since it would be reflective of the record-setting magnitude of the event. In addition to his purse, McGregor, as a champion, also gets a cut of pay-per-view revenue, which likely rocketed his UFC 205 payday into the $20 million neighborhood.
Should he eventually get a deal done to box Mayweather, McGregor’s payout will surely dwarf any fight in his past. As an opening salvo, UFC president Dana White offered McGregor and Mayweather $25 million each plus a to-be-negotiated cut of pay-per-view revenue. If the fight gets done, it’s likely the numbers will be north of White’s initial offer.
With such a windfall, how could McGregor be expected to go back to the UFC to make a relative pittance of the money he’d be paid for a Mayweather bout?
That’s a good question, but McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, recently told the Irish Mirror recently that he doesn’t see his charge exiting the MMA business anytime soon.
“Like any sport, there’s a sell by date,” said Kavanagh. “But Conor is 28; he’s a baby in the sport.
“I look at Bernard Hopkins, who is 50, winning world title fights; so Conor isn’t going anywhere soon.”
While he couldn’t expect the same UFC paydays as he would get from a monster of a fight with Mayweather, the brash Irishman would cement himself at the top of the sport of MMA, regardless of how a Mayweather bout plays out. Just making such a fight happen puts his marketing prowess on display, which would give a high-octane boost to the power he already lords over the UFC.
McGregor, however, is a master at keeping everyone guessing. Although Kavanagh doesn’t think he’ll be going anywhere anytime soon, he does see a day when the UFC’s first dual-division champion vanishes from the radar.
“I predict once he’s done in the sport he will disappear. People think he likes the limelight, he doesn’t. He just likes fighting and promoting fights,” said Kavanagh.
“Who knows? Maybe he’ll go to Hollywood and become the next (Arnold) Schwarzenegger.”
