– Paul Dollery reports from New York
LIFE HAS BEEN good for Conor McGregor ever since he entered the UFC in 2013. Even by his lofty standards, however, things are looking pretty sweet for the 28-year-old Dubliner as 2016 draws to a close.
He’s now a simultaneous two-division UFC champion — the first there’s ever been — and his partner, Dee Devlin, is expecting the couple’s first child in March… or May… or at some stage in 2017 at least.
“I’m going to be a daddy early next year,” the reigning UFC featherweight champion revealed at a press conference in Madison Square Garden after he knocked out defending lightweight title-holder Eddie Alvarez in the second round of their headline bout at UFC 205.
“March, is it?” McGregor said, glancing in the direction of his parents after he was asked when the baby is due to be born. “May? It’s not May, is it? I thought it was March. What the fuck? Look, I’m running from it, to be honest. I’m crapping my jocks with that whole thing. I don’t know what to be doing with myself.
“I don’t want to be bringing a child into anything like this. I don’t want any celebrity-type shit, I hate all that. I don’t want my family to be like that. That’s a thing in the back of my head so I’m just going to have this baby, take a little bit of time and see what way I feel after that.”
Sitting pretty for now, McGregor’s future looks uncertain — but that’s exactly how he wants it. Having fought four times in the last 11 months, he has undoubtedly earned a break. However, that’s not why he’s considering one. There’s the onset of fatherhood, of course, but business issues are also at the forefront of his thoughts.
McGregor is the highest-paid athlete the UFC has ever had, but he believes he’s worth much more than he’s currently earning. In the aftermath of an event which generated a record-breaking $17.7million sum in gate receipts and — according to UFC president Dana White — set a new UFC record for pay-per-views, it’s easy to understand why McGregor is of the opinion that he’s worthy of a larger chunk of a very large pie.
In July, the UFC was purchased for $4.2billion by the WME-IMG group, who later brought on board a host of celebrity investors including Tom Brady, Ben Affleck and Conan O’Brien. No longer satisfied with simply being a contractor or employee, McGregor wants his financial standing within the UFC to reflect the enormously lucrative impact his success has had on the company — and he’s prepared to wait until that happens.
“They [the new owners] have got to come and talk to me now because no one has come to talk to me since the sale has happened,” McGregor said. “As a businessman I’ve been approached as a ‘hello’, but that’s it. I’ve earned something.
“I mean, who owns the company now? People have shares in the company now, celebrities. Conan O’Brien owns the UFC now so where’s my share? Where’s my equity? I’m the one who’s bringing this. They’ve got to come and talk to me now. That’s all I know.
“I have both belts, a chunk of money, I’ve got a little family on the way. You want me to stick around to keep doing what I’m doing? Let’s talk. But I want ownership now. I want equal share. I want what I deserve and what I’ve earned.”
Back in June, McGregor was placed among the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes by Forbes, having earned $22million in the previous 12 months. Internal UFC documents that were also obtained recently by MMAjunkie.com showed that McGregor was the driving force behind the organisation recording record revenue for 2015.
“I’ve been happy to just continue doing what I’m doing but I feel I’ve out-worn the previous contract,” McGregor said. “I know I’m the highest-paid already but I’m looking at what they’re taking in. That list that was compiled to show the new owners, that’s like the gospel right there. That’s proof of what I bring.
“You want me 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 to be truly in on this then I need to be all in on this proper — as owner. An equity stake in the company, that’s what I’m looking for.”
A timeframe on McGregor’s return to the octagon is subsequently unclear, but there’ll be no shortage of options when he does return. He now has two UFC titles in his possession and says a push for the welterweight belt wouldn’t be out of the question.
McGregor: “I’m not in no hurry anymore. Like I said, I have a kid on the way. I just want to see what happens with that, see what way it makes me feel — do you know what I mean? — and where my mind will be then.
“Maybe the three [titles]. Maybe the third one will be next. There’s options. There always is many options after these events. Options are always a good thing. But I’m running it for real now so they’ve got to come talk to me.”
McGregor was involved in a minor altercation and a Twitter spat with UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley — who fought to a majority draw against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson at UFC 205, which looks likely to result in a rematch — and the pair have expressed an interest in facing each other.
Having been left with just one belt in the octagon following his win against Alvarez, McGregor voiced his displeasure at the absence of the second strap. A member of UFC staff instead went backstage and borrowed Woodley’s belt — with his permission — in order to give McGregor the photo opportunity he had craved.
According to McGregor, getting his hands on Woodley’s belt was “maybe a sign of things to come” and the Straight Blast Gym fighter wasn’t surprised when he was told that the 170lbs title-holder had admitted earlier in the night that he’d be keen on facing the Irishman.
“I’m sure he would,” said McGregor. “I’m sure he fucking would. They all would. I’ve got a million other hurdles before I even consider any of this. Whoever runs this whole shit now is going to have to come to me and give me the real slice because that’s what I’ve earned.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov also reaffirmed his status as the number one contender in the lightweight division with a very impressive win over Michael Johnson. The Dagestani wrestling ace has had long spells on the sidelines in recent years due to injury problems, but he poses arguably a bigger threat to McGregor than anyone else on the UFC roster.
“He ain’t fighting too frequently for my liking,” said McGregor, who revealed that he carried injuries to his right hand and left leg — remnants of his win against Nate Diaz in August — into last night’s fight.
“For me to commit to something like that, I need solid proof that people are going to show up and he’s a consistent pull-out merchant. He had a good performance tonight, fair play to him. We’ll see where it goes but I need to see activity, I need to see consistency.”
Reflecting on his demolition of Alvarez, which saw him make history by winning a second UFC belt, McGregor said: “I saw it so clearly, so consistently until it’s here in reality. I’ve been saying this a long time. I’m very confident in my abilities and what I’m predicting I’m going to do. I back it up with work ethic, hours upon hours of time, dedication. I never slip. I never take a second off this game. I’m very satisfied, very grateful, very happy. But I’m not surprised. I knew it was going to happen for me.”
McGregor added: “There’s not a fucking scratch on me. I’ve not been wobbled. For a 28-year-old on top of the game with all the belts, all the money, all the numbers… in a game like this, there’s not a fucking thing wrong with me.
“So 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.”
