Conor McGregor (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Francis Ngannou bet 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, which cost the wealthy former UFC champion $500,000.
McGregor bet Renan Ferreira would KO Ngannou in the latter’s return to MMA. McGregor posted proof of his bet. FightCrack and other social media outlets posted the digital betting slip.
If you missed it, Ngannou destroyed Ferreira in the first round to become the PFL’s Super Fights heavyweight champion.
Had Ferreira won, McGregor would have made nearly $1.7 million.
McGregor is a wealthy man with an estimated worth of around $200 million, so it’s unlikely this lost wager will put him in any peril. However, the loss could 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 walked away from the UFC as the reigning heavyweight champion in 2022. He wanted the freedom to pursue a boxing career, but the UFC didn’t want to allow it. The PFL was looking for a signature signing, and Ngannou is arguably 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 of those fights, and his son tragically passed away earlier this year. The loss to Fury was competitive as Ngannou looked to catch the heavyweight great off guard–even dropping him at one point.
Contrastingly, the loss to Joshua was a devastating second-round KO. The size and formidability of Ferreira, combined with the hardships Ngannou has endured in and out of competition, are likely what pushed McGregor and others to see the former UFC champion as vulnerable.
Again, the Ngannou doubters were wrong, and one particularly high-profile doubter is a little lighter in the wallet because of it.
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, considering the occasion, we saw some intense fights.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - OCTOBER 19: Cris Cyborg, seen with a bloodied face, competes against Larissa ... [+]
In addition to Ngannou’s epic KO win, we also saw Cris Cyborg win her champion-vs-champion clash with Larissa Pacheco via unanimous decision. Both women made an excellent account of themselves, but the MMA legend proved she’s still elite.
In a rematch, Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen successfully defended his title against Fabian Edwards. Things got a little dicey in the last round for Eblen, but he held on to get the win.
Here is a look at all of the results from the event.
- Francis Ngannou defeats Renan Ferreira via first-round KO
- Cris Cyborg defeats Larissa Pacheco via unanimous decision (49-46x3)
- Johnny Eblen defeats Fabian Edwards via unanimous decision (48-47x3)
- Zafar Mohsen defeats Husein Kadimagomaev via unanimous decision (30-27x3)
- Paul Hughes defeats AJ McKie via split decision (29-28x2, 28-29)