First Conor McGregor retires, then he unretires, then he claims to be back on the UFC 200 card and then Dana White gets all puzzled and wonders just why the fuck McGregor bothered tweeting that. Well, if these figures are anything to go by, maybe Dana should just let Conor tweet whatever the fuck he wants and add him back to the July supercard.
McGregor was originally set for a rematch with Nate Diaz, who Stockton slapped 'Notorious' round the octagon before choking him out at UFC 196 last month. That fight drew 1.5 million Pay Per View buys, while Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier at UFC 182, another fight which is set for a rematch at UFC 200, drew 800,000 buys according to Cormier.
ESPN's Darren Rovell estimates that McGregor/Diaz II would bring in 525,000 more PPV buys than a repeat of Jones vs Cormier which, at $70 a PPV, means the Irishman's fight is worth a staggering $36.7m more than Jones and Cormier's.
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That's before we even get to the live gate!
UFC 196 broke the promotion's record for gate receipts, banking $8.1m, which means a rematch from that night's main event, plus a host of other high profile title matches would likely earn even more. Without McGregor though, it's unlikely the appeal will be strong enough to better $8.1m. Rovell argues that a live gate of $10 million is possible and estimates the difference to the live gate is then roughly $7 million with another $800,000 for additional merchandise royalties and concession revenue thrown in for good measure.
On top of all of these mind boggling numbers, a ticketed fan fest is potentially on the cards for UFC 200, with the event being the company's biggest of all time, with tickets priced at $45, $65 and $75. No McGregor in Las Vegas on July 9th however is predicted to see a decline in demand by up to 10,000 less people, another potential $500,000 that UFC would lose out on without their Featherweight champion in attendance.
Add that all together and you're left with roughly $45m. That's how much Dana White could lose out on if he doesn't swallow his pride and let the eccentric Irishman back onto the card for 200. Can White afford not to bring McGregor back?
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(H/T JOE.ie)
Topics: Conor Mcgregor, UFC, MMA