Chad Mendes has revealed he earned more for his bare-knuckle boxing debut than he did for his UFC clash with Conor McGregor.
The American star retired from the UFC in 2018 after being defeated by Alexander Volkanovski, and previously fought McGregor in 2015 for the interim featherweight title.
However he came out of retirement by making his bare-knuckle boxing debut last weekend, defeating Joshua Alvarez with a fourth-round stoppage.
Mendes has revealed he earned a career-high payday for his BKFC debut against Alvarez, but has admitted he still feels in his "prime" aged 36.
“Yeah that was true, including Conor," Mendes told the MMA Hour when asked about earning more money for his BKFC debut than when he faced McGregor. “Close to that but yeah more.”
“Yeah I mean I do think looking back now of course but that’s just where the sport was. When I signed that contract it was a good contract. It wasn’t great but it was good.
"From then till now it’s a bit outdated and I still have three fights on it but it’s just where the sport was at that time. When I retired, I didn’t leave because I didn’t think I could compete with the best.
"I know I still can, I feel like I’m still in my prime. It just didn’t make sense at that time for what I was getting paid. So, I stepped away from it but I still didn’t lose that drive to compete at all. I still love doing it.”
Mendes claimed his recently bare-knuckle boxing debut was the "most fun" he had in combat sports for a long time and was delighted with his performance.
He also reiterated his desire to remain in competitive fighting and would be willing to make a return to the UFC if he is awarded a more significant financial package.
Mendes and McGregor are reported to have earned around $500,000 each for their role in the interim title clash.
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Fighter pay has continued to be an issue within the UFC with heavyweight star Francis Ngannou the main figure in a row with the promotion over the financial rewards at stake.
YouTube star Jake Paul has also led a feud with company president Dana White as he seeks an increase in pay alongside a growing attention to fighter's healthcare.
Mendes formed a part of McGregor's incredible rise to become double champion when he suffered a brutal second-round stoppage defeat to the Irishman at UFC 189.
McGregor later defeated Jose Aldo after the contest was rescheduled to become featherweight champion before becoming double-champion with victory over Eddie Alvarez.
However the Irishman has since faced a decline having won just one of his last four fights, with consecutive defeats to Dustin Poirier last year threatening to tarnish his UFC legacy.
