Conor McGregor Wants an Ownership Stake in UFC Before He Fights Again
Before Conor McGregor fights again for UFC, he doesn’t just want a paycheck—he wants an investment.
“They’ve got to entice me now because I came from a billion dollar fight,” McGregor told reporters Wednesday in Dublin at the premiere of his documentary. “They’ve got to entice me. I want equity. I want ownership. I want to be a true partner, similar in the way I was in the Floyd fight. I was a promoter and I was a fighter, and that must continue for me to continue.”
McGregor’s haul for his one-off gimmick fight against Floyd Mayweather—about $100 million—more than doubled what he made three fights for UFC in 2016. UFC president Dana White has been eager to set up another fight for his biggest star, telling TMZ on Thursday that he is hopeful McGregor fights before the end of the year. (White’s preferred opponent is Tony Ferguson, he told SI Now last month.)
White is also not entirely opposed to the idea of giving McGregor shares in the company.
“Conor is Conor,” White told ESPN on Thursday. “If anybody deserves that stuff, it’s freaking Conor. Conor is the real deal and he’s a huge superstar, a global superstar and we will get a deal done.”
The majority of UFC was sold this summer for $4 billion, though White retained some portion of the 9% stake he owned and stayed on as the company’s president. Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, the previous majority owners who bought the company on White’s recommendation, held onto a small portion of the company in the original sale but sold that share in September.
