Saturday, Oct. 6 has come and gone, and that means UFC 229 is officially in the books with Khabib Nurmagomedov tapping out Conor McGregor to remain undefefated and retain his lightweight title.Beyond the contested bout between McGregor (21-4) and Nurmagomedov (27-0) at T-Mobile Arena, the Las Vegas showdown figures to pay out millions of dollars to each side of the UFC's main event. But how much, exactly, are McGregor and Nurmagomedov guaranteed to take home from UFC 229?
According to Mike Bohn via the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Nurmagomedov is guaranteed $2 million flat, while McGregor is guaranteed $3 million. So regardless of what happens Saturday night, both fighters will have multi-million-dollar purses -- a feat in itself for MMA fighters these days. And yet, despite the high guaranteed marks for an MMA main event, both lightweights are scheduled to make more once pay-per-view buys, merchandise sales and Reebok payouts are calculated.
One hiccup? After starting a brawl following his win over McGregor, Khabib's purse is currently being held in limbo by the NSAC as it investigates.
With so much anticipation surrounding Saturday night's fight, which marked McGregor's anticipated return to the Octagon, UFC 229 could end up clocking in as MMA's biggest fight of all time in terms of total PPV buys. Never one to temper his thoughts, McGregor himself thinks the fight will rake in record PPV buys and thus net him as much as $50 million in total.
"We're estimating around 3 to 3.5 milllion (buys)," McGregor said, per MMA Fighting. "I'd say I'll close in around the $50 million mark. So, for a mixed martial artist to make $50 million from a mixed martial arts bout, it's quite breathtaking."
