McGregor got taste of high life in White’s Ferrari after rejection, now he has a fleet

When Conor McGregor rushed in to finish an already bruised and battered Donald Cerrone in January 2020, it seemed like his glorious comeback was well and truly on.

‘The Notorious’ landed a perfectly placed head kick to the side of the UFC veteran’s jaw before finishing him on the ground and celebrating on his knees in relief.

After a 15-month absence from the octagon, the former two-weight world champion was back under the Ultimate Fighting Championship lights and made an estimated £1.6million per SECOND in doing so.

However, hopes for the ‘season’ were soon scrapped and fans had to wait another year to see him in action again when he met Dustin Poirier for a second time. It didn’t go to plan and neither did the third encounter, also in 2021, but it made both men even richer.

Money, though, is no longer an issue for the Irishman; becoming the first ever UFC ‘champ-champ’, his boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather and the launch of ‘Proper 12 Irish Whiskey’ and a new pub means he does not have to fight ever again.

Yet the lure of competition will seemingly always prove too strong for McGregor to resist and his love of fighting has taken him from the dole to the brink of becoming a billionaire.

It was not all fast cars and caviar for McGregor, however. He was actually REJECTED by the UFC almost ten years ago due to the saturation of the featherweight division at the time.

Instead, he moved up to lightweight and knocked out Cage Warriors champion Ivan Buchinger and earned his spot at the world’s premier MMA organisation the hard way.

After impressing UFC President Dana White at a dinner, the MMA chief snapped up the promising fighter, believing he had all the capabilities to become a superstar just through his charisma alone.

During an interview with TSN’s Michael Landsberg, White said about his first impressions: “Listen, I don’t know if this guy can fight, but if he can even throw a punch, he’s going to be a huge star.”

Not only can McGregor throw a punch, he can also render opponents unconscious with his fists and is even able to predict when the stoppage will come.

After his first round win over Marcus Brimage on his debut in 2013, White awarded McGregor a $50,000 bonus for his performance on top of his wages for showing up and securing the win.

Business between the pair was booming and, after promising the Irishman the chance to fight in his home country and also Boston, the two met again for a meeting which culminated in a Ferrari race around Las Vegas.

Clearly not yet accustomed to such a lavish lifestyle, McGregor recorded the encounter for his social media followers to enjoy and his infectious cackle was only drowned out by the engine of the super car.

It left a lasting impression on him as he revealed in 2021 he ordered a limited edition Ferrari Spyder, which have a starting price of around $500,000.

Having earned £385,000 in just 13 seconds during his demolition of Jose Aldo in 2015 to win his first title – the featherweight strap – the McGregor hype train was rapidly beginning to accelerate and it culminated in his second UFC crown in New York City.

Before dismantling Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 (a performance which earned him almost £60,000 per strike) the Crumlin-native spent $55,000 (£41,000) on a Gucci mink coat for his press conference appearance.

He arrived at Madison Square Garden in a £280,000 custom-made Rolls Royce Ghost and admitted he was addicted to training and shopping.

Speaking to the UFC Embedded camera team, McGregor said: “I have an unhealthy obsession with spending money. But I have a healthy obsession with making it – so it’s all good.”

A defeat to fierce rival Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018 was a chastening one for the proud Irishman, yet the main event at UFC 229 is still the most watched in the company’s history.

It was bought by 2.4 million people in the United States alone, while 17,835 paid to get into the T-Mobile Arena to watch it and, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the gross sales were more than $17m.

In fact, he owns six of the biggest MMA gates in Las Vegas history.

The Irishman has his sights set on creating more magic in 2022 when he returns from injury, with Poirier a rumoured opponent, while he also was to complete what will be a very lucrative trilogy with Nate Diaz and even hinted at challenging welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

However, regardless of his fights next year or how many more zeros he can add to his bank account and cars to his considerable fleet, ‘The Notorious’ is still the same fighter at heart who squealed louder than White’s tires during their late night cruise through Sin City.