Conor McGregor has claimed he wants to buy Twitter after Elon Musk put his £35billion takeover of the social media site on hold.
Musk is delaying his takeover until he can verify details about the number of fake accounts on Twitter but insists he remains committed to completing his purchase. Former two-weight UFC champion McGregor is one of the richest combat athletes in the world but has a net worth in the millions, not the billions.
That didn't stop him taking to Twitter to post: "I'm buying Twitter", months after he claimed to be interested in buying first Manchester United and then Chelsea football clubs. McGregor last week found himself relegated from the top 10 richest athletes in the world having not fought since he was beaten by Dustin Poirier last summer.
McGregor topped the list last year ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo but has seen his earnings dry up since breaking his leg in his third fight with his lightweight rival. Much of the Dubliner's earnings came from the sale of his Proper 12 whiskey brand.
But despite not having enough money to buy Twitter, sports entrepreneur Andrew Petcash believes the Dubliner could become a billionaire within months. "Conor McGregor will be a [dollar] billionaire this year, (earning) $235m from fighting and a $600m deal [from] the ring. McGregor makes a lot from fighting. A study by OLBG found that he makes over $8m for every minute in the octagon," he said.
“McGregor made $158m last year – it’s the most ever by an athlete. McGregor invested in his own fitness program, FAST, a program (that) helps users get into fighting shape. Last year it did $5m in revenue. August McGregor, his fashion and lifestyle line, created alongside A-list tailor David Heil makes luxury suits for the likes of Elon Musk. Around $50m/year in profits is created by this menswear brand.
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"Conor McGregor excels equally at business and sport. In his words, fighting is his 'third income'. With his smart business moves, he is all set to achieve his personal goal of becoming a billionaire by the time he is 35."
On Friday, Musk, the world's richest man, tweeted: "Twitter deal temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5 per cent of users." He later added: "Still committed to acquisition".
McGregor has not set a date for his return to the cage but is unlikely to fight before the autumn. He had planned to return to full sparring last month but has been unable to do so.
