UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor says his popularity will soon match Floyd Mayweather
By Mark Ashenden
Last Updated: 13/12/15 12:58pm
Newly-crowned UFC champion Conor McGregor says he is close to smashing the records of Floyd Mayweather in boxing.
The 27-year-old Dublin fighter demolished Jose Aldo with a knockout after 13 seconds on Saturday night to become the undisputed featherweight champion at UFC 194 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
It was an astonishing performance and a giant leap for a man rapidly on the rise. McGregor only debuted in the UFC two years ago, while his Brazilian opponent had been the champion for six years and hadn't lost in a decade.
The UFC 194 card attracted record receipts in the US of £6.67m and looks set to surpass the company's pay-per-view record figures of around 1.5 million buys.
"I'm catching up [with Mayweather]. I'm only 27, they were 40. I'm only warming up," McGregor said.
Mayweather's fight with Manny Pacquiao at the same venue in May generated over £47.5m from the sale of 16,219 tickets with over 4.4 million pay-per-view telecasts.
McGregor added: "I said to Lorenzo Fertitta [UFC CEO] and I said to Dana White [UFC president], I'm breaking these big numbers, I'm breaking these half a billion dollar revenue numbers like the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.
"At 27 years of age I stand here as the unified world champion with back-to-back gate records at the MGM. This is trending as the highest pay-per-view I believe of all time for the UFC.
"At 27 years of age with every record in the book, with divisions above ready for me to go at, super fights left and right. I'm going straight up, I'm bringing big numbers, the sky is the limit. Anything can happen."
McGregor revealed it was time to be with his family before working out what his next career move would be.
"I'll give it some time," he said. "It's Christmas, I'm thinking right now about Christmas. You travel around so much, you're making weight or doing something. Christmas is taken from you sometimes.
"I've put in a hell of a lot of work this year, it's been a crazy, crazy year for me.
"I'm looking forward to going home and building a Christmas tree with my girlfriend and spending time with my family and eating good, good food."
