Conor McGregor earned £1.5 million per second in UFC 246 fight

Irish mixed martial artist and boxer Conor McGregor earned a whopping £1.5 million ($1.9 million) after he demolished his rival within 40 seconds into the bout at UFC 246. McGregor gave a bloodied nose to his opponent Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in the first 20 seconds with an opening punch and a sublime kick to the jaw.

The 31-year-old former Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight and lightweight champion reportedly scooped £60m ($78mn) for the bout which is equivalent to £1.5 million per second since the fight ended in a flash. Though the fight purse was £2.3 million, the major chunk of the earnings come from the pay-per-view.

“I feel really good, and I came out of here unscathed. I’m in shape. We’ve got work to do to get back to where I was,” said McGregor.

After the bout, Cerrone admitted that McGregor's speed caught him by surprise saying he has never seen anything like that. The 36-year-old said that he was caught way off guard with the opening punch followed by the kick.

Read: Conor McGregor Says He's Never Spoken With Tyson Fury Despite UFC Debut Training Rumours

Winning return

In 2018, the Irish former two-division champion lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a one-sided affair and returned to the Octagon for the first time after that match. It was a much-awaited dual but it ended without any resistance from Cerrone. Speaking to the reporters, McGregor talked about his past failures and the humiliating defeat against the lightweight champion.

“I wasn’t committed. I just felt like I disrespected the people that believed in me and supported me. That’s what led me to re-centre myself and get back to where I was at,” said the MMA fighter.

Read: UFC 246 Salaries: Conor McGregor Set For $3 Million Payday, Donald Cerrone To Earn $200K

After UFC 246, Conor McGregor has plenty of options before him. He has his eyes over Jorge Masvidal’s BMF title. According to McGregor, UFC 249 will not come to fruition and he is ready to slide in if any of the fighters pull out. However, things will only get a valid direction if Conor McGregor manages to surpass Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.

Read: Conor McGregor Blasts Cerrone In 40 Seconds In UFC Return

Read: Conor McGregor Reveals He 'drank All Week' Before Fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov At UFC 229

(With AP inputs)