MMA legend turned entrepreneur Connor McGregor lost a $500,000 bet over the weekend. He wagered on Renan Ferreira to beat Francis Ngannou in their Pro Fighters League matchup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Ngannou defeated Ferreira in the first round via a TKO stoppage. It was Ngannou’s return to MMA following nearly two years absence after leaving top global league the UFC.
Meanwhile, former simultaneous two weight classes division champ McGregor hasn’t fought in the UFC since 2020, although he continues to posture online that he may return.
His $500,000 bet may have been massive by most people’s standards. But it would hardly be a huge loss for McGregor, given his net worth is some $200 million, all told.
The Wager
McGregor talked about his big bet on social media and posted pictures of the bet slip, both before and after the fight. But after losing, he then deleted the posts. However, not before it was screen-shotted by some of his millions of followers.
“Fight night, fight night, fight night… the Mac is back with his winning bets…. I have a 100 per cent winning ratio on these bets. Ngannou is losing by KO tonight,” McGregor wrote.
Had Ferreira won the fight, McGregor would have been in for a $1.7 million payday. However, Ngannou ended that dream in a brutal display of aggression and punching power over just one round in Riyadh.
After the matchup ended with his bet losing, the Irish fighter claimed the loss wouldn’t hit him too badly.
“THE RICH GET RICHER, I’LL GET THAT BACK,” he wrote in a now-deleted post on X.
Ngannou’s Victories
The former UFC heavyweight champ Ngannou quit the top global MMA league in 2023 after contract negotiations broke down.
Considered one of the most powerful punchers in the world, the 6’6″ Cameroonian then put his hand to boxing. In two exhibition bouts, he surprised the world by going 10 rounds in a decision loss to legendary three-time world heavyweight champion boxer Tyson Fury, and then got knocked out in the second round of his matchup with British heavyweight Anthony Joshua.
Now back in the MMA game for the foreseeable future, it’s hard not to see Ngannou holding on to his PFL heavyweight title for some time to come.
As for big betting sports gamblers, McGregor may be up there, but he’s hardly as prolific a sports bettor as Drake. The Canadian music superstar was earlier this year trolled by the Argentina soccer team after publicly placing a losing $300,000 bet against them in the Copa America semi-final.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.