What is fascinating about ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor was his ability to amass his fortunes during the Reebok sponsorship era. This was when most athletes lost out on major revenue due to the UFC ban on external sponsors on the official fight gear. According to Forbes, the Irishman made $33 million from fighting, and $10 million in endorsements alone. In April 2021, McGregor sold a majority stake in his Proper No. Twelve whiskey for an estimated $150 million. No athlete in MMA before or since McGregor has been able to amass such a fortune in a decade. ‘The Notorious’ single-handedly changed the landscape of mixed martial arts with regards to how much money MMA fighters could make – both inside and outside the octagon.

Demetrious Johnson praised the Irishman, for the same, stressing the importance for fighters to think about making money beyond fighting. He used McGregor and himself as examples to showcase how earning never stops despite not fighting. Here’s what ‘Mighty Mouse’ said, “Can I make more money from building the YouTube, the ‘Mighty’ merch, the project coming out in 2025? Can I make more money doing that stuff than fighting? When I do that, that’s f*****g, ‘You made it’. That’s f*****g dope. Like, Conor’s made more money from Proper No. Twelve, and all the sh*t he’s got going on, than he has from fighting. And that’s amazing in my book. That’s what every athlete should strive for.” 

McGregor didn’t just make all his money outside fighting from the Proper No. Twelve brand. The Irishman has diversified into many ventures that have created generational wealth for the superstar. He has a successful dining establishment in Dublin called ‘The Black Forge Inn’. He started the ‘Forged Irish Stout’ brand as a competitor to Guinness. Earlier this year, McGregor even became part owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Oh, and he’s also the highest-paid Hollywood debutant after his role in ‘Road House’ after he dethroned Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s record earlier this year. But, like anything with Conor McGregor, fans were divided right in the middle with regards to the Irishman making his fortunes outside of fighting.

Demetrious Johnson’s praise of Conor McGregor’s Proper No. Twelve fortune garners stark reactions

Reacting to Demetrious Johnson‘s comments, fans had plenty to say about McGregor’s massive fortune, as a result of his whiskey brand. One fan tipped his hat to McGregor, saying that he made so much money despite his whiskey tasting ‘awful’ – “Awful whiskey too which makes it even more impressive. Tastes like diesel”. Another fan pointed out that without the UFC, ‘The Notorious’ would not have found his fame, “Well the UFC was the door opener to his fame. Otherwise there is no brand”. One user also denied the existence of Proper No. Twelve without the fight game with, “Without fighting there is no proper 12”.

Many speculate that McGregor lost his hunger once he made his fortune from the Floyd Mayweather boxing bout. One fan alluded to the ‘McGregor of old’, who seemed ‘much happier’ – before the Irishman gained all his fortune – “What does it profit a man to gain the entire world at the price of his soul? Old Connor was happier, if you aren’t in denial this is obvious”.

Another user was very critical of the UFC, saying that McGregor’s fortune only looks good because the UFC pays its athletes poorly – “It’s not amazing, the UFC pays its fighters peanuts compared to the revenue they generate”.

This argument reminds us of what UFC veteran Brendan Schaub said earlier this year. The former heavyweight called McGregor “the most underpaid athlete, probably of all time.” His explanation? – “Now, no one wants to hear this because you see his whiskey sales, you see him in that movie, you know, Road House, you see him in all this stuff, and he’s making all that money, and you’re like ‘No, he’s set, he’s a damn-near billionaire.’ I get that, but just from – it’s very black and white – from a numbers standpoint if you look at what Conor’s brought into the UFC money-wise…”

‘Bapa’ even had arguments against the claims similar to the ones above that said the UFC is the main reason for McGregor’s success. He said, “Now people say the argument is ‘Well, he wouldn’t be that big if he didn’t have the UFC. Well, my argument would be the UFC wouldn’t be as big if they didn’t have Conor McGregor, so that’s why there has to be some sort of middle ground.”

While many fans were critical of the Irishman, many also fans acknowledged his sheer brilliance in the fight game. One fan had nothing but praise for ‘Mystic Mac’, saying, “Conor really a legend. His story is amazing. One of the greatest [for real]”. Another fan echoed the same sentiments with, “This man hustles, mad respect!!! The real [GOAT]”.

Will Conor McGregor make that walk to the octagon again? Whether he does or not, he definitely won’t be needing the money earned from his Octagon return.