Conor McGregor scored a major $220,000 payday for his win over Dennis Siver at UFC FC Fight Night 59. 'The Notorious' topped the night's reported payroll with a $170,000 purse for according to information released to MMAFighting.com by the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission. The 26-year-old also took home a $50,000 fight night bonus which brought his total tally to $220,000. Dennis Siver got $39,000 for his efforts against the Dubliner. Fox Sports revealed that UFC Boston had 2,751,000 viewers making it the most-watched UFC Fight Night on cable television since 11/14/09." McGregor has risen up one place in the UFC featherweight rankings to no.4. It comes as McGregor signed for apparel giants Reebok. McGregor becomes one of just five UFC fighters to sign a deal with them. He added, “I believe my potential in the Octagon is limitless, but it all comes down to the training you put in pre-fight. With a top fitness brand like Reebok behind me, there's no telling what I can do in the Octagon.” The deal comes hot on the heels of UFC president Dana White calling McGregor "the most marketable fighter of all time". McGregor wasn't the only Irish fighter to pick up a win at UFC Boston, with his teammates Cathal Pendred and Paddy Holohan both picking up decision victories earlier in the night. Pendred earned $16,000 while Holohan got $20,000. Northern Irishman Norman Parke lost via split decision against Gleison Tibau and got $20,000. The win for McGregor secures his shot at the UFC featherweight championship in the summer. He made good on his promise to finish the Russian-born German fighter, scoring the TKO at 1:54 of the second round. In his post-fight interview, McGregor said, "I said two minutes - I meant two rounds. I felt comfortable throughout. I don't think any of these featherweights pose a threat. Every single one keeps talking but I don't hear them talking about skill or technique, because they know I own that." After the fight, McGregor leapt over the Octagon to confront the cage-side UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (25-1) face-to-face but security held him back as a defiant Aldo smiled at the 26-year-old Dubliner's antics. UFC President Dana White cited the time difference between Ireland and the U.S and their inability to secure a permit to hold a Dublin stadium event in the early hours of the morning to appease the U.S market as the reasons behind their decision not to hold the fight in Ireland. White, however, did not rule out a UFC show at Croke Park in Dublin in the near future. Story via Irish Mirror

Colin Farrell has been given a massive thumbs-up from US chat show host Ellen De Generes for his comments on gay marriage on Claire Byrne Live. Farrell was interviewed for Byrne's first show RTE on Monday night and Farrell, appearing via video link-up from Los Angeles, voiced his support for the referendum. He offered a compelling account of the abuse and homophobia suffered by his brother Eamon, who he said was bullied in school. "There was great hardship that he was experiencing every day in school. He went to school under great duress," he said. "He got plenty of beatings and got called names continuously." Asked about his memories of Eamon growing up, he said, "I remember him coming home with blood on his shirt, and he got plenty of beatings and he got just called names continuously........so he had a very very very tough time, a lot of cruelty, like real, absolute shameful cruelty that was placed upon him.” Eamon had to travel to Canada to marry his partner Steven Mannion, something which Colin feels was "disappointing" and "unfair". “To see them every day live their lives as a happily married couple is an amazing thing, and to think that they had to leave their own country to do that, is sad and disappointing and just grossly unfair I feel.” DeGeneres (56) has been married to her wife Portia DeRossi (41) since 2008 and tweeted a link to Colin's interview with the comment, "Colin Farrell explains his support for marriage equality in a beautiful way. I couldn’t have said it better myself." The debate on Claire Byrne Live also included participation from those campaigning for the referendum to be rejected. via Irish Independent online

The improving Irish commercial property sector aided a significant upswing in pub and hotel sales in 2014, according to CBRE, which released its annual report. In the report, CBRE described last year as a “pivotal” one for Irish commercial property and forecasted that 2015 is set to continue that positive trend. The company’s Outlook 2015 report contains figures for transactional activity in different sectors of the Irish commercial property market in 2014 and predictions for each sector in the year ahead. The report highlighted that 63 hotel sales concluded in Ireland in 2014, totalling over €341.2 million, compared to 33 hotel sales totalling €160 million in 2013. In addition, a further €355 million of Irish hotel transactions (17 properties) were in legals at year-end. A number of other hotel properties were sold as investments during the year and are included in investment spend figures. Meanwhile, 38 Dublin pubs were sold in 2014, totalling almost €44 million between them with a further 19 properties in legals at the end of the year. This compares to 20 Dublin pub sales totalling approximately €15 million completed in 2013. “Commercial transaction volumes and property value improvements exceeded all expectations last year,” said CBRE Ireland managing director, Enda Luddy. “Irish property was one of the best performing asset classes in the world during the last 12 months and transaction volumes were up significantly in all sectors. However, it is important to remember that recent value increases are coming off a low base following an exceptionally severe crash and values still remain considerably below peak levels in all sectors, which will continue to attract investors to Irish real estate over the next 12 months,” he added. Story via Hospitality Ireland

A Kim Kardashian superfan has spent £100,000 on cosmetic surgery and designer clothing in an effort to look like the reality TV star. Jordan James Parke made the decision that he wanted to look like the iconic celeb after first seeing her on Keeping Up With The Kardashians several years ago. And Mr Parke, from Manchester, has now spent £100,000 on 50 lip-filling operations, eyebrow tattoos, botox injections and laser hair removal, as well as a designer wardrobe to match Kardashian’s. ‘Her skin is perfect, her hair, everything about her. I’ve never felt better about myself [and] I laugh when people try to insult me by telling me I look plastic or fake.’ Mr Parke has also undergone a £450 ‘vampire facial’ – a procedure that involves injecting blood from the body into the face.