Georges St-Pierre: UFC profit margin is so high, even Conor McGregor is getting screwed out of revenue

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor made $3 million for his Nate Diaz rematch at the UFC 202 pay-per-view (PPV) back in August, and likely made even more for his Eddie Alvarez title fight in New York.

Not too shabby for someone who is treated unfairly by the promotion.

That’s according to former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who joined former Bellator boss Bjorn Rebney and a handful of other UFC stars to launch the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association (MMAAA). The purpose of the organization is to change the way UFC treats its talent.

Starting with revenue sharing.

“Most other sports, it’s 50/50 for promoter and athlete,” St-Pierre said on today’s call (listen here). “For us, we have around eight percent. It’s not only not fair to me, it’s not fair to the UFC top contestants. Even to Conor McGregor, who doesn’t have his fair share of what he should have.”

UFC rakes in roughly $600 million in profit each year, according to Rebney.

Even if McGregor is entitled to a much bigger piece of the pie, there’s very little incentive to stand with his fellow fighters and take on the promotion. Sure, he’s butted heads with promotion president Dana White in the past, but he’s on pace to make $40 million this year (his words) and gets to pick and choose his fights.

Then we also have to consider this:

UFC is no stranger to disgruntled employees. In addition to a class-action lawsuit that drags on in California (more on that here), additional fighter associations (like this one) have popped up to help protect athletes from low wages and uncertain futures.

Because cage fighting still beats emptying trash cans.