Mayweather & McGregor should thank Conan O’Brien for record-setting payday

On August 26, Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor are set to battle each other in the ring, but the bad blood between them began over two years ago when McGregor appeared on The Conan O’Brien Show, and O’Brien asked if he would ever consider taking on Mayweather. McGregor smiled and uttered the now infamous phrase, “If you’re asking would I like to fight Floyd Mayweather — I mean, who would not like to dance around the ring for $180 million?” With those words, the most anticipated fight of the 21st Century was set into motion.

As two of the best trash-talkers in sports, Mayweather and McGregor began their worldwide tour promoting their fight on July 11th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, caked with machismo and a nonstop flow of insults. After the July 12th press conference at Toronto’s Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, the wheels flew-off the wagon on July 13th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, when Mayweather showered McGregor with insults, and in return, McGregor showered Mayweather with dollar bills. A bizarre showing, to say the least, but that did not stop the two from closing out their tour at SSE Arena, Wembley in London on July 14th.

Regardless of who is favored or how lopsided the event may seem, pay-per-view (PPV) buys are expected to break records. UFC President Dana White said that “odds-makers are already taking bets” on how many PPV buys the fight will attract. According to Claire Atkinson of the NY Post, estimates have reached nearly 4.9 million.

The fight, to be held at the 20,000 seat capacity Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, will no doubt see exorbitant pricing for tickets via secondary exchange sites such as StubHub. CBS Sports is reporting that tickets are expected to range from $500 to $10,000. The $500 tickets will be limited, with the average ticket expected to cost $2,500-$5,000. There is no telling just how much some seats will resell for, but it’s almost a guarantee that ringside seats will be in the six-figure range. Secondary prices will stand toe-to-toe with, and most likely beat, record-setting sales from the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.

Even with the thousands of dollars being spent on tickets, no one will have to pay more to be a part of this fight than sponsors. Companies are expected to have to pay approximately $10 million to sponsor the fight. In comparison, sponsors paid $5.6 million to sponsor Floyd Mayweather’s mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao. The featured sponsor will get its logo at the center of the ring, branding on ring girls, two of the ropes, and the two non-fighter corners of the ring. Additionally, the $10 million price tag includes sponsorship of the first minute of every round on the broadcast and $500,000 in tickets. Even if the fight does not go the distance and is a rather forgetful affair, there is no denying the epic level of money that will flow throughout the entirety of this event. In the end win, lose, or draw, Mayweather and McGregor will both come out on top as recipients of mega paydays.

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