Conor McGregor is set to earn a UFC record purse of £3.8 million on his highly anticipated comeback to the cage that is due to take place on January 19th at UFC 246.

The former two-weight world champion’s return fight sold out instantly with Dana White confirming a £7.6 million gate.

It is the first time the Irishman has fought since his submission defeat against Khabib Nurmagomedov back in October 2018.

This pot for his contest with experienced American fighter, Donald Cerrone, is the highest number that the 31-year-old has received for a UFC fight.

It eclipses previous bouts against Khabib Nurmagomedov, Eddie Alvarez and the rematch against Nate Diaz, which fetched around £2.3 million.

It still does not come close to the huge payday that he received when he fought Floyd Mayweather back in August 2017.

The bout, known as 'the biggest fight in combat sports history', saw him earn a remarkable £76 million.

The £3.8 million fee for the Cerrone bout will not the only source of income though as the pay per view numbers will add a significant contribution. 

On top of that, a high profile sponsorship deals with Reebok is set to earn him a significant sum as well.

The Irishman’s last fight with Nurmagomedov broke the UFC box office record with 2.4 million PPV copies sold and it was claimed that McGregor took roughly £25 million from his fight with the Russian.

It, therefore, comes as little surprise that Forbes estimated that McGregor made £35 million from just the one fight, meaning that he made around £10 million through sponsorships and endorsements.

McGregor has revealed that he intends to fight more frequently in 2020 with the likes of Justin Gaethje, Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz being mentioned.

UFC President Dana White has also said that if McGregor can get the win over Cerrone there is the potential of a rematch with lightweight champion Nurmagomedov.

UFC 246 takes place at the T-Mobile venue in Las Vegas next Saturday night.