Home/UFC

via Getty

via Getty

How much did Conor McGregor make vs Khabib at UFC 229?

Former UFC Lightweight champion Conor McGregor might not have the most championship wins or title defenses to his name. He might not be undefeated. However, the Irishman sure is one of the most successful UFC fighters of all time. According to sources, Conor McGregor is the highest-paid UFC athlete. Although he lost two consecutive bouts to Dustin Poirier, McGregor walked away with a whopping $5,011,000 in each fight.

After walking away from the UFC, McGregor diverted all his attention toward setting up his own business. He also used his time away to spend quality time with his family. His wife, Dee Devlin is pregnant with their fourth child. Being quite influential and popular really worked in McGregor’s favor as Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey (McGregor’s whiskey brand) really took off.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

via Getty

Despite the success that McGregor had in his life outside the UFC, one of the biggest losses in McGregor’s life was within the UFC Octagon. At UFC 229, a prideful Conor McGregor lost a grueling battle to the undefeated Dagestani, Khabib Nurmagomedov. The war between the two really escalated and it is still considered to be one of the biggest and most ‘profitable’ rivalries of UFC. That goes a long way in suggesting how successful UFC 229 was. According to sources, Conor McGregor walked away with a humongous 8-figure purse although he lost to ‘The Eagle’.

How much did McGregor Take away from UFC 229?

UFC 229 was one of the biggest main events to have ever taken inside the UFC Octagon. The fight between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov raked in a whopping $86.4 million, overall. The beef between the two actually started outside the ring when Khabib Nurmagomedov and McGregor’s friend and teammate Dillon Danis and Nurmagomedov got into a physical altercation.

The bad blood between the two turned really ugly as McGregor went to the extent of shattering the glasses of Nurmagomedov’s bus window. He then turned himself in and was arrested along with a friend.

via Getty

All this build-up to the fight really had the fans hyped. Everyone knew about the bitter rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Naturally, on 7 October 2018, on the day of the fight, the fans turned up. The event had a record sale of PPV buys and raked in an unprecedented $86.4 million in gross economic output.

McGregor lost to Nurmagomedov but the night didn’t end there. After the fight was over, Nurmagomedov started a brawl in Conor McGregor’s corner. The action soon spilled to the ring with Nurmagomedov’s teammates taking shots at the Irishman.

via Getty

The fight is easily one of the greatest fights that UFC has promoted and the night was easily one of the most memorable nights for all UFC fans.

According to sources, Conor McGregor walked away without a title but with $28,480,000. However, McGregor had initially claimed that he made $50 million against Khabib.

How much did Khabib earn from UFC 229?

Khabib Nurmagomedov was a nightmare for the entire UFC Lightweight division. He steamrolled through the roster and retired with a clean 29-0 win record. To date, Nurmagomedov’s biggest fight is Conor McGregor. Together, the fight reeled in $86.4 million. McGregor walked away with $50 million. McGregor’s take from the fight was multiple times that of ‘The Eagle’. According to sources, Khabib Nurmagomedov earned around $6,640,000 (including his base salary of $2 million) that night. However, owing to the post-fight altercation, The Dagestani was penalized $0.5 million.

via Getty

McGregor’s purse dwarfs that of Nurmagomedov’s. In 2021, McGregor’s reported net worth was $180 million. As for Khabib Nurmagomedov – he is worth $45 million, as of June 2023. To put things in perspective, Conor McGregor was worth $99 million back in 2018.

Conor McGregor’s successful business ventures definitely added to the already increasing pool that is his net worth. However, Khabib isn’t far behind. After retiring by winning his last fight against Justin Gaethje, Nurmagomedov started his own promotion called Eagle FC.

Conor McGregor’s UFC earnings

Being the highest-paid UFC athlete comes at a price. McGregor’s recent controversies have definitely upturned his stocks. He faced a lot of backlash for his recent USADA pool miss and for assaulting the Miami Heat mascot.

However, that cannot take away from McGregor’s success – the success he achieved through UFC. According to reports, Conor McGregor is currently worth $200 million. Of that, $100 million is his take from his fight against the undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. Between 2018 and 2019, McGregor apparently made $47 million from endorsements, purses, and salary.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

via Imago

Easily one of the richest and most successful UFC fighters, Conor McGregor has now been left behind by former UFC Heavyweight fighter Francis Ngannou. When Ngannou moved to the PFL after a dispute with UFC President Dana White, the hard-hitter left Conor McGregor behind with respect to base salary. According to his new contract, Ngannou would be getting paid $8 million per fight, minimum.

Dive Deeper – 5 Years After the Khabib Fight, Conor McGregor Makes Hard-to-Swallow Confession

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Now that the stage has been set for Conor McGregor to return, will he be able to rival Ngannou’s purse? Or his salary for that matter?

Watch This Story – Take a look at$40 million worth Khabib Nurmagomedov’s home in Dagestan