The verbal warfare has already started, although we are still waiting for official confirmation, as Conor McGregor will attempt to be the first fighter in UFC history to hold two belts in different weight classes at the same time when he fights Rafael Dos Anjos for the lightweight title at UFC 197.
It's set to be a monumental night for the UFC. With McGregor's historic fight at the top of the bill, we've already got confirmation that Holly Holm's first title defence will be in Las Vegas on March 5th, so there's no doubt that a LOT of viewers are going to be drawn in.
In fact, so many people are expected to tune in to watch Conor McGregor attempt to make history, and Holly Holm get back into the Octagon for the first time since demolishing Ronda Rousey, that early predictions have UFC 197 surpassing the Pay-Per-View number of buys set by UFC 100 in July, 2009.
Back then Brock Lesnar was the main draw on a truly staggering card, and the total money earned from Pay-Per-View purchases passed $1.6 million. While there are no final numbers yet from UFC 194, it is believed by many that McGregor vs Aldo drew in enough to put the event second on the all time list, and now Fox Sports have crunched them numbers in anticipation for UFC 197..
Conor McGregor is going to like what they are predicting:
Forbes broke down McGregor’s KO of Aldo, with the estimate that he gets $3-$5 per PPV buy. They projected these figures against a low buy of 1 million and a high of 1.5 million: meaning he made between $3 million and $4.5 million from PPV on a 1 million buy, or $5 million and $7.5 million on a 1.5 million buy. Using both the highest dollar and highest buy figures, McGregor would have made $622,000 per second in beating Aldo.
Best case scenario based on these figures, McGregor made more than $8 million beating Aldo. He will surely get more views for this fight given its historic nature, even though dos Anjos is a lower-profile champion whose Cerrone fight was not even a PPV event.
The 1.6 million record is within reach - particularly with McGregor’s supreme skill for loudly promoting his fights. At $5 a pop, 1.6 million buys equals $8 million straight up.
That would be a cool $8 million, before he gets his appearance bonus, any possible win bonus, and any possible performance bonuses.
He says his numbers are the reason why he has the fight game in the bag, and it's hard to argue with that. It remains to be seen whether or not the UFC will ask Conor to embark on a draining media tour before the fight, but it may be necessary if they want a record breaking event, and the man himself has said that those obligations are where he earns his money, as opposed to the enjoyment he takes from the actual fight.
What is even crazier to think, is that should UFC 197 go on to break PPV records, it likely will be smashed when UFC 200 rolls around, as the UFC have been quietly hyping up that event as something huge for the best part of a year. If McGregor can manage to defeat Dos Anjos and be fit in time to fight at UFC 200, then he really is going to have more money than he knows what to do with.
via Fox Sports.
