Conor McGregor claims he is “set for life” financially, doesn’t need to fight anymore

On October 6, former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor will return to the cage for a showdown with undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

This will be McGregor’s first MMA bout since November of 2016, when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez to win the lightweight belt, and his first fight since his August 2017 boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.

In the wake of McGregor’s fight with Mayweather, which saw him pocket something in the area of $100 million, there was speculation that he might never fight again. He’d made his money and could happily hang up the gloves if he chose to do so.

At Thursday’s UFC 229 press conference, McGregor confirmed that from a fiscal vantage point, he has no reason to fight anymore. He says he’s returning purely for the love it, and to hand Nurmagomedov his first loss.

“This is called prize fighting,” Conor McGregor said. “But thankfully I’m such a crafty individual with my other [business] entities and my entire game as a whole. I don’t have to fight for money no more. Thank the lord Jesus H Christ that I don’t have to fight for money no more.”

“I do not fight for the prize,” he continued, speaking to Nurmagomedov. “I did not begin fighting for the prize, I began fighting because I loved it. That’s why I’m here now, because I love this game. I don’t have to be here, I am set for life. I’m here to enjoy this. I’m going to love putting you out of your misery and stomping on your head.”

“I don’t have to lick no one’s arse for a check like you.”

In addition to the massive paydays he’s earned fighting, McGregor has a number of lucrative side ventures on the go. His most recent venture is an Irish whiskey called Proper Twelve, which is now a sponsor of the UFC.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/20/2018.