Floyd Mayweather Jr. last night in his win over Conor McGregor made a guaranteed $100M, but "likely will make well in excess" of $200M. Meanwhile, McGregor was guaranteed $30M for the fight and "likely will earn" more than $100M (ESPN.com, 8/27). Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe said that the PPVs were "trending well, and when all things are said and done Mayweather could end up" with nearly $300M. McGregor said of his purse, "The check's not bad. I've already been raising the MMA checks and I'm certainly going to raise the MMA checks when I get back there" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 8/27). While the fight was "entertaining and hardly the farce many called it, the truth is, this was made for one reason: money" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/27).
Asked if the size of McGregor’s purse would cause problems in UFC negotiations, UFC President Dana White said, “No. Listen, if our fights do what the buys did here tonight at the gate, we'll all be good. Trust me." White also said of the fight bringing more fans to UFC, "I don't know, I don't know if that's the case" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 8/27). Meanwhile, Swiss watchmaker Hublot ran a full-page ad in yesterday's N.Y. Times featuring Mayweather, reminding fans to tune in to the fight: "Don't miss Mayweather vs. McGregor Live on PPV Tonight" (THE DAILY).
