Company man or union man? The way Conor McGregor makes it sound he might be a bit of both.
The only fighter in UFC history to reign as champion of two weight divisions at the same time seems intent on tilting the financial arrangement between himself and MMA's premier promotion even further in his favor.
Following his perfect stoppage of Eddie Alvarez during a record-setting Saturday night at Madison Square Garden—the UFC pulled a $17.7 million gate and is on track to surpass its previous high of 1.65 million pay-per-view buys—the Irishman spoke freely as he always has about the money he makes (and intends to make) in ways few mixed martial artists ever have.
“Where's my equity?” McGregor asked without the slightest hesitation. “If I'm the one that's bringing this they've got to come talk to me now. That's all I know. I've got both belts. A chunk of money. A family on the way. You want me to stick around? You want me to keep doing what I'm doing, let's talk. But I want ownership now. I want equal share. I want what I deserve. What I've earned.”
Over the last two years the UFC has become increasingly reliant on McGregor to deliver revenue, and while he made a small fortune in that time his stature has “outworn the previous contract,” he said.
So what's to stop him from demanding a larger piece of the pay-per-view pie? Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., for instance, netted 60 percent of the pay-per-view receipts when he fought Manny Pacquiao on May 2, 2015. That type of split would be unheard of in the UFC, but McGregor fancies himself the person to get it done.
Fighters who slammed McGregor in the past for his brashness and the UFC’s receptiveness to it may want to reconsider. Even if McGregor’s motives are purely personal, any movement towards increasing the share of revenue he receives from UFC would break new ground.
The UFC is a place where marketability plus individual glory tend to yield the big bucks. It’s a cut-throat competitive environment that thus far has made collective bargaining little more than a dream. Yet McGregor has reached the point that his upward mobility seems like a tide-rising event, carrying the Irishman and potentially every other fighter on he roster with him.
In July, the UFC was sold to Hollywood powerhouse agency WME-IMG for $4.2 billion. The news sent shockwaves through the sport and awoke many fighters to the reality that what they were getting back wasn’t worth nearly enough for what they were giving up.
“Now it's time for the reals,” McGregor said. “I know I'm the best paid already, but when I'm looking at what they're taking in—that [prospectus] that Lorenzo and the team compiled to show the new owners—that's like the gospel right there. That's proof of what I bring. So you want me to be around? To stick around and help service that debt and continue to push the company bring me on board for real? Not just as this. I need to be set for life with this. If you want me to be truly in on this then I need to be all-in on this, proper. As an owner. An equity stake in the company. That's what I'm looking for.”
This is the double-edged sword that’s inched closer to the necks of UFC officials as they relied on McGregor to turn out audiences in droves. WME-IMG needs McGregor to show up at least three times next year (he fought in the Octagon four times the last 11 months) if it has any chance of surpassing the $609 million in revenue the UFC made in 2015.
But will they go so far as to provide a piece of the company in exchange?
The champ champ pic.twitter.com/iprUKL0Ldx
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) November 13, 2016
McGregor truly knows his value, and he sees no reason to play coy when WME-IMG is angling for hundreds of millions of dollars in earn-outs in 2017.
"I'm not in no hurry no more,” McGregor said. “There always many options after these events. Options are always a good thing. But I'm running it for real now. They've got to come talk to me.”
WME-IMG may want to get on that.
MMAJunkie.com reported in October on a 58-page document it obtained that detailed how the new owners of the UFC were courting investors on buying into the company. The previous month, 23 celebrities tied to WME-IMG were revealed as partial owners of the UFC for a minimum of $250,000 each.
“Conan O'Brien owns the UFC nowadays so where's my share?” McGregor posited.
Seventy-nine percent of the revenue created by the UFC in 2015 was from content, according to the MMAJunkie report, which includes all revenue from UFC broadcasts including pay-per-view and media rights. McGregor-headlined events accounted for two million pay-per-view buys in 2015. He has far surpassed that number this year, hitting 3.25 million prior to UFC 205, which Dana White said would establish a new pay-per-view buy rate for the company.
“For a 28-year-old on top of the game, all the belts, all the money, all the numbers in a game like this, there's not a f---ing thing wrong with me,” McGregor said. “I can keep going all day, but I'm aware of my worth. And now I've got a family. Now I've got a kid on the way. I'm coming for mine now.”
McGregor claimed to be fit and ready to fight after his second-round finish of Alvarez to claim the UFC lightweight title, but until his demands are met he’s open to sitting out at least until the birth of his first child next spring.
Will McGregor and the UFC play hardball? McGregor seems willing to step away from the Octagon until an arrangement can be found that suits him.
While outside parties attempt to unionize UFC fighters, it may be the case that a one-man union holds the cards.
More than ever, it's McGregor's world.
