MANILA, Philippines – Conor McGregor may have suffered a defeat to Nate Diaz at UFC 196, but he’ll have at least a cool million in his bank account to help recover.
The 27-year-old Irish fighter pocketed a UFC record baseline purse of $1 million for his second round submission loss to Diaz at the MGM Grand on Sunday, March 6.
The figures on McGregor’s paycheck do not include pay-per-view incentives and sponsorships.
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On the other hand, Diaz took home $500,000 for stepping in for Rafael dos Anjos, who pulled due to a foot injury.
Diaz received a total of $100,000 bonus for “Fight of the Night” and “Performance of the Night” citations after accepting the fight on 11 days notice.
Diaz shared the “Fight of the Night” award with McGregor, who likewise bagged an additional $50,000.
McGregor and Diaz went toe-to-toe for the better part of their 9 minutes inside the Octagon, but it paid off handsomely for the 31-year-old native of Stockton, California as he rocked McGregor in multiple exchanges before hammering the final nail in the coffin with a rear-naked choke in the second round.
Meanwhile, Miesha Tate nabbed $92,000 for submitting Holly Holm in the fifth round to capture the UFC women’s bantamweight championship.
Like Diaz, Tate gained a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for her come-from-behind effort against Holm.
Despite losing to Tate in stunning fashion, Holm earned a flat $500,000 purse. – Rappler.com