Is Conor McGregor the bigger superstar in MMA? Well, that question might spark a debate but for Chael Sonnen, he was perhaps the best fighter to embrace the sport. Whether one loves him or hates him, that UFC wouldn’t be remotely as mainstream if weren’t for prime Conor and his blistering run.
Despite being a staunch critic of the Dubliner, Sonnen showered praise on him, detailing how great he truly was. In his recent YouTube video, he reminisced about the ‘The Notorious” blitzkrieg and discussed the legacy of the Irishman who simultaneously became the champion of the 145 and 155 lbs divisions, two of the most stacked rosters in the company.
“That is insane! Conor McGregor has won so many world championships that he forgot one – he’s a champ champ champ, he forgot that he won the interim belt. I was there, I watched his fight with Chad Mendes, he had to beat the greatest 145 pounder to ever live.”
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Not to forget his lightweight title win against Eddie Alvarez and that 13-second KO of Jose Aldo.
Furthermore, Sonnen also mentioned how Conor would rope these wins into getting even bigger fights like when he went toe to toe against the best boxer on the planet, Floyd Mayweather.
“He ended up doing it in 11 seconds. He parlays that into one of the baddest dudes that I’ve ever met – Eddie Alvarez, he took that, he parlayed it against the greatest boxer that the sport has ever seen and he went 30 minutes with him…Conor McGregor was truly perhaps the best fighter that’s ever done this.”
So yes, McGregor has gotten a lot of things right in his career, be it inside the octagon or using its popularity to become a successful businessman.
However, last night, he didn’t get something right and it cost him a good $50k.
McGregor loses bet as Ngannou destroys Ferreira
All eyes were on former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou making a comeback to the MMA scene after a long hiatus. While he was focused on boxing, a devastating loss to Anthony Joshua made him rethink his choice and now the Cameroonian is back in the cage.
Ngannou was competing in MMA for the first time in almost three years when he took on PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira in Riyadh on Saturday night.
Many believed this was probably not going to end well for the Cameroonian since he probably didn’t have the motivation for MMA anymore.
McGregor was one of those doubters and had placed a $50k bet on Ngannou to lose the bout against the bigger Brazilian.
Unfortunately for him, Ngannou showed no ring rust whatsoever and brutally KOed Ferreira in less than four minutes! ‘The Predator’ took the fight to the ground and finished it with a barrage of blows, leaving the referee with no other option but to jump in and save the Brazilian from further punishment.
