Rattibha

Conor McGregor in 2007:
• Working as a plumber
• Living with his parents
• Thousands of dollars in debt
• Cashing $235 welfare checks
But now, @TheNotoriousMMA has made over $600 million and is one of the world's highest-paid athletes.
This is his WILD story 👇

1) McGregor's story reads like a Hollywood script.
He was a 12-year-old boy growing up in Crumlin, Ireland, who started taking boxing classes after being bullied by kids at school.
"Things like this happened a few times, so I thought, f**k this. I am going to go and train."

2) McGregor started training at the Crumlin Boxing Club.
But then he discovered MMA at 16 and fully committed his life to the sport.
McGregor would watch delayed recordings of UFC fights and then practice the moves in his backyard.
But there was a problem.

3) McGregor needed to start making money at 17, so he started working as a plumber.
He would wake up at 5 am, walk a few miles in the freezing cold to hitch a ride to work, and then spend 12 hours fixing toilets.
He hated it — and it severely impacted his training.

4) So, despite being thousands of dollars in debt and living with his parents, McGregor quit his plumbing job.
His girlfriend, Dee, started supporting them financially.
And Conor began collecting $235 weekly welfare checks while training full-time.

5) McGregor spent every day at the gym, teaching classes for cash when he wasn't training.
He started his MMA career 4-2 — but then won 8 fights in a row (with several first-round knockouts).
And that's when Dana White took notice, offering McGregor his first UFC contract.

6) McGregor made his UFC debut in 2013.
He cashed a welfare check on the way to the airport and won in just 67 seconds.
He was paid $16k — $8k to show, $8k to win — and he also won the $60k KO of the night bonus.
"Dana, 60 Gs, baby!" McGregor yelled.
And the rest is history.

7) McGregor has had an incredible UFC career:
• 22-6 record
• First 2-division champ in UFC history
• Holds 8 of the top 10 UFC PPV fights
He also made $100M+ from his fight with Floyd Mayweather.
But what he did *outside the octagon* is even more impressive.

8) McGregor has made more than $600 million throughout his career.
But the UFC is notorious for paying its fighters less than 15% of total revenue — compared to ~50% for the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL.
So McGregor took a different approach.

9) McGregor makes $5M to $10M annually off endorsements and has started several companies himself.
• Proper 12 Whiskey
• McGregor FAST
• TIDL Sport
• August McGregor
• Forged Irish Stout
And that's what ultimately made him one of the highest-paid athletes ever.

10) Take, Proper 12, for example.
A whiskey company offered McGregor a cash-based sponsorship deal in 2016.
But instead, McGregor and his manager Audie Attar teamed up with Ken Austin to launch Proper 12.
Ken is the founder of Tequila Avión & a legend in the spirits business.

11) McGregor then went on a world tour, blasting the product to his 55 million social media followers.
Proper 12 would sell 200,000 cases in its first six months on the market.
And they later sold their 51% stake in the business for an estimated $600 million.

12) So my point is simple:
McGregor's rise from welfare checks to multi-million-dollar UFC fights is one of the best stories in sports.
But his ability to think long-term — in a sport that incentivizes short-term — is what really makes him a legend.

13) This thread is a breakdown from my podcast.
So if you enjoy learning about the money and business behind sports, subscribe using the links below so you don't miss an episode.
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