NEW YORK — Conor McGregor became a two-division UFC champion Saturday night, but his most important title could come next year, when he becomes a father.
And it has him thinking even bigger things — if that’s even possible.
McGregor announced after his UFC 205 lightweight title win over Eddie Alvarez that his longtime girlfriend, Dee Devlin, is pregnant with their first child. And while that, in McGregor’s words, has him “crapping me jocks,” one thing he does know is the UFC needs to take care of him and his now-growing family.
“I’ve earned something,” McGregor said at the post-game fight press conference at Madison Square Garden. “Like, who owns the company now? There’s people who have shares in the company, uh, celebrities. Conan O’Brien owns the UFC nowadays, so where’s my share? Where’s my equity? … They’ve got to come talk to me now, that’s all I know. …
“I want the ownership now,” he added. “I want the equal share. I want what I deserve, what I’ve earned.”
McGregor’s next fight is up in air, especially if he takes a paternity break, but the UFC certainly will want him back. He has become the promotion’s biggest draw, and UFC 205, which he headlined, set a record for the biggest gate at $17.7 million.
McGregor realizes he’s in a power position with the new ownership group, which purchased the UFC in July, and it appears he plans to leverage it before the May birth of his child.
“I’m aware of my worth,” he said. “Now I have a family. Now I have a kid on the way. I’m coming for mine now, if you want me back.”
Click to watch McGregor’s full post-fight press conference >>
Thumbnail photo via Adam Hunger/USA TODAY Sports Images
