Conor McGregor loses big after failed bet against former UFC champion

Francis Ngannou gambled on himself when he left the UFC for the Professional Fighters League. However, Conor McGregor did not bet on the MMA icon on Saturday night, costing the wealthy former UFC champion $500,000.

McGregor bet that Renan Ferreira would beat Ngannou on his return to MMA. McGregor posted proof of his bet. FightCrack and other social media channels posted the digital betting slip.

In case you missed it, Ngannou destroyed Ferreira in the first round to become the PFL Super Fights heavyweight champion.

If Ferreira had won, McGregor would have earned almost $1.7 million.

McGregor is a wealthy man with an estimated net worth of around $200 million, so this losing bet is unlikely to put him in danger. However, the loss can be seen as yet another example of one of the most prominent men associated with the UFC showing a lack of belief in Ngannou.

The 38-year-old Ngannou left the UFC as the reigning heavyweight champion in 2022. He wanted the freedom to pursue a boxing career, but the UFC would not allow that. The PFL was looking for a signature and Ngannou is perhaps the most important free agent in MMA history.

They gave Ngannou the freedom to secure two substantial boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua before making his promotional debut. Ngannou lost both fights and his son tragically passed away earlier this year. The loss to Fury was competitive, as Ngannou looked to overwhelm the heavyweight great, even dropping him at one point.

In contrast, the loss to Joshua was a devastating second-round KO. Ferreira’s size and formidability, combined with the hardships Ngannou has endured in and out of competition, are likely what has led McGregor and others to view the former UFC champion as vulnerable.

Once again the Ngannou doubters were wrong, and one particularly high-profile doubter is a little lighter on the wallet as a result.

Other MMA News – Historic PFL Event

The PFL was in Saudi Arabia on Saturday for its first-ever pay-per-view event. While the Saudi crowd wasn’t as loud as you might have expected, given the occasion, we saw some intense fighting.

In addition to Ngannou’s epic KO victory, we also saw Cris Cyborg win her champion-versus-champ clash with Larissa Pacheco via unanimous decision. Both women gave excellent accounts of themselves, but the MMA legend proved that she is still among the elite.

In a rematch, Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen successfully defended his title against Fabian Edwards. Things got a little tricky on the final lap for Eblen, but he held on to take the win.

View all results of the event here.

• Francis Ngannou defeated Renan Ferreira via KO in the first round
• Cris Cyborg defeated Larissa Pacheco via unanimous decision (49-46×3)
• Johnny Eblen def. Fabian Edwards via unanimous decision (48-47×3)
• Zafar Mohsen def. Husein Kadimagomaev via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
• Paul Hughes def. AJ McKie via split decision (29-28×2, 28-29)