Floyd Mayweather made $178,000 fighting Conor McGregor... per second

That's about twice what he earned per-second against Manny Pacquiao.
 By 
Josh Dickey
 on 
Floyd Mayweather made $178,000 fighting Conor McGregor... per second
We all know why this man is smiling. Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Congrats, you just made $178,041!

Well, that is, if you're Floyd Mayweather, standing in the ring against Conor McGregor on Saturday night -- and you took one second to read that sentence.

In what has to be the biggest single payout in sports history, the 40-year-old Mayweather stands to make a total of $300 million for his win over 29-year-old MMA superstar McGregor. (He'd have made the same win or lose, so the fact that he won by KO to preserve his perfect 50-0 record is just gravy.)

Saturday night's fight carried a $100 million guaranteed purse for Mayweather, but he also gets a sizeable chunk of the pay-per-view from Showtime. Estimates range from $150 million to $200 million for that part, so we're giving the benefit of the doubt (and his own personal estimate) here.

The fight went nine full 3-minute rounds, plus 1:05 of Round 10 before it was stopped, for a total of 28 minutes, 5 seconds. That's 1,685 seconds in all, meaning Mayweather was working for $178,041 per second -- about twice the $83,000-per-second average he made in 12 rounds against Manny Pacquiao.

McGregor didn't exactly walk away poor: His guaranteed purse was $30 million, more than all his MMA prizes combined. He stands to get some Showtime money, too, but nothing like what Mayweather brought in for his final performance.

In terms of straight salary, $300 million is more than any pro athlete has made over a career, let alone a single night -- largely due to salary cap and revenue restrictions. There have been plenty of $100 million contracts, but those are usually spread over several years.

In other words, it's safe to say that Floyd Mayweather is the highest-paid athlete the world has ever seen, at least in terms of time spent engaged in his sport.

And chances are it only took him a second or two to eclipse the highest-paid person you know.

Mashable Image
Josh Dickey

Josh Dickey is Mashable's Entertainment Editor, leading Mashable's TV, music, gaming and sports reporters as well as writing movie features and reviews.Josh has been the Film Editor at Variety, Entertainment Editor at The Associated Press and Managing Editor at TheWrap.com.A finalist for the Los Angeles Press Club's Best Entertainment Feature in 2015 for "Everyone is Altered: The Secret Hollywood Procedure that Fooled Us for Years," Josh received his BA in Journalism from The University of Minnesota.In between screenings, he can be found skating longboards, shredding guitar and wandering the streets of his beloved downtown Los Angeles.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You

How much does Paramount+ cost per month?
The Paramount+ logo on a phone.

Psst: You can still get 3 months of Audible Premium Plus for 99 cents per month
Audible app on phone with earbuds attached

Get Surfshark One for under $2.30 per month with 3 extra months for free
Surfshark on multiple devices

'Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat' review: Prank show's return is comedy magic
The ensemble of "Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat."

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

NYT Strands hints, answers for April 4, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!