Meet The Man Behind Conor McGregor’s +$650M Empire
About This Episode
Audie Attar, the founder of Paradigm Sports Management and the strategist behind Conor McGregor's $600M+ empire, joins the show to discuss the business of combat sports. He breaks down the transition from transactional athlete sponsorships to equity-heavy ventures like Proper No. Twelve and explains how they negotiated the historic Mayweather vs. McGregor fight. The episode explores the 'athlete-creator' model and the importance of hiring operational experts to scale celebrity-backed brands.
Episode Description
Show Notes
- 0:00Intro
- 6:13Early UFC days
- 9:17Signing Michael Bisping and discovering Conor McGregor
- 13:20How Audie signed Conor
- 17:15What’s it like managing fighters?
- 19:45How they created Proper Twelve
- 23:00The value of owning a brand vs. doing sponsorships
- 28:30McGregor vs. Mayweather payout
- 34:00The appetite for blockbuster boxing matches
- 45:00What was it like after the Proper Twelve exit?
- 52:21How he handles McGregor’s criticisms and allegations
- 57:24Advice to his younger self
- 01:03:31Conor's transition from beloved fighter to highly criticized
- 01:09:40Closing thoughts on UFC
Links
- Audie’s Twitter
- Audie’s IG
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Key Takeaways
Prioritize equity over endorsements: Instead of accepting a flat fee for a sponsorship, athletes should leverage their brand power to launch their own companies for potential 50-100x returns.
Partner with 'Black Belts': When moving into a new industry like spirits or tech, it is critical to find operational partners who are experts in that specific supply chain and market.
Data-driven disruption: Use organic social media engagement and 'banter' to prove market demand for high-stakes events (like the Mayweather-McGregor fight) to convince skeptical institutional partners.