\u201cSuga\u201d is shocked.<\/p>\n
Zuffa Boxing made waves last week by signing British welterweight<\/a> Conor Benn to a reported one-fight, $15 million deal \u2014 a staggering number that immediately caught the attention of the combat sports world. The former Matchroom standout\u2019s jump reportedly left promoter Eddie Hearn \u201cdevastated<\/a>,\u201d but it was the eight-figure payday that truly turned heads.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n To put it in perspective, no UFC fighter has ever publicly disclosed earning a flat $15 million purse. While Conor McGregor banked massive money for his fight<\/a> against Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Brock Lesnar scored big at UFC 200<\/a>, the final numbers were heavily supplemented by pay-per-view points.<\/p>\n So when news of Benn\u2019s deal surfaced, many wondered how UFC fighters would respond.<\/p>\n Enter UFC superstar Sean O\u2019Malley \u2014 and he didn\u2019t hold back.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t even know who Conor Benn is. He\u2019s supposedly a pretty big name in boxing, but I\u2019ve never f\u2014king heard of him,\u201d O\u2019Malley said. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy, bro. If they really paid this guy $15 million, I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s crazy how you put in so much work in the UFC. Build this name, create this character, be a star. I\u2019m not making f\u2014king $15 million to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s also a business, and if they think it\u2019s a good move and that guy is going to bring in money, I get it,\u201d he added. \u201cBusiness is business. He hates Oscar De La Hoya, hates Eddie Hearn, so it\u2019s like let\u2019s take their biggest star and pay them \u2014 I can see it being an ego thing. Again, I\u2019ve never really heard of him.\u201d<\/p>\n With Zuffa Boxing backed by Saudi powerbroker Turki Al-Sheikh, deep pockets clearly aren\u2019t an issue.<\/p>\n