Conor McGregor had an announcement to make after becoming the first simultaneous two-weight-class champion in UFC history on Saturday night: He's going to become a father.
"I'm going to be a daddy early next year," the UFC lightweight and featherweight champion said during the UFC 205 post-fight press conference at New York's Madison Square Garden. "I'm crapping my jocks, it's messing with my head."
With a family to feed, McGregor has decided it's time to really cash in. His second-round knockout of Eddie Alvarez to claim the lightweight belt in the main event of UFC 205 capped the event which drew the biggest gate in the illustrious history of the world's most famous fight venue: UFC 205 drew a reported gate of $17.7 million, topping the record of $13.5M set by Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis in 1999.
And while the bombastic Irishman has certainly reaped financial benefits for his exploits, he wants more: With the company selling for an eye-popping $4.2B to Hollywood entertainment conglomerate WME-IMG this summer, McGregor bluntly stated that he want's what's his.
"If you want to come at me, if you want me to stick around and help service that debt and continue to push the company, bring me on board, for real," McGregor said. "I need to be set for life for this. If you want me to be truly on on board, then I need to be all-in on this proper, as an owner, and have an equity stake in the company. That's what I'm looking for."
The gate records are actually McGregor's second-biggest financial driver for the company. Pay-per-view is the biggest item. Going into UFC 205, in the past 11 months alone, McGregor had three of the four biggest PPV draws in company history, with his rematch win over Nate Diaz at UFC 202 topping the list with a reported 1,650,000 buys. UFC president Dana White indicated earlier in the presser that UFC 205 would top that number.
McGregor clearly understands he's the engine driving the biggest buy rates, and he's now got two title belts as leverage.
"They've got to come talk to me now," McGregor said. "Both belts. Money. I want the ownership now. If we're going to keep doing this, let's talk, but I want an equal share. I want what I've deserved, what I've earned."
Additionally, McGregor seems well aware that many major celebrities, who have never had to set foot in the cage, have ownership shares in the company, including Tom Brady, Ben Affleck, Sylvester Stallone, Conan O'Brien, and Serena Williams.
"I've earned something," McGregor said. "I've earned, I mean, who owns the company now? There's people who have shares in the company, celebrities, Conan O'Brien owns the UFC now, so, where's my share? Where's my equity? I'm the one that's banking this."