After a TKO of Eddie Alvarez in the second-round of his Saturday night UFC 205 fight to win the Lightweight Championship (and combine it with his Featherweight Championship to become the first simultaneous two-division champ in the history of the UFC) Conor McGregor decided to swing his nuts around and claim that he won't fight again unless he's given shares of the company.
According to McGregor, who it should be noted has made some pretty dubious claims before:
"They’ve (the UFC) got to come talk to me now, no one’s talked to me since the sale. Who owns the company now? Celebrities have shares in it now, who owns it and where’s my share? You want me to stick around, let’s talk. I want the ownership, I want what I deserve, I want what I’ve earned.
"I can keep going all day but I’m aware of my worth. Whoever runs this shit has got to come to me. I’ve outgrown the contract. You want me to stick around, bring me onboard for real. Not just as this. I need to be set for life."
His comments were referencing both the report that the UFC was sold to WME-IMG for $4.2 billion this past June, as well as the report that 23 celebrities, including Ben Affleck, Tom Brady, Jimmy Kimmel and Cam Newton, paid at least $250,000 to purchase a small stake in the company. While the UFC's new owners, Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell, were both at Madison Square Garden for McGregor's bout, the Irishman says he still hasn't sat down with them to talk about his future in the promotion.
McGregor further went on to announce that he and girlfriend Dee Devlin have a kid on the way, and because of that he needs more dough. "I'm aware of my worth and now I've got a family," he said. "Now I've got a kid on the way. I'm coming for mine now if you want me back."
UFC 205 pulled in a UFC/Madison Square Garden record $17 million at the gate. On top of that, president Dana White stated that the event would break the league's record for most pay-per-view orders. McGregor says that before he considers his next fight, he has "a million others hurdles [to get past]." Finally, he added, "Whoever runs this who shit now has got to come to me and give me the real slice cause that's what I've earned. I've earned this. Biggest gate. Biggest everything."
It remains unclear whether the company will give into his demands or simply wait a week until he moves on to something else.
