Conor McGregor recently made headlines for making a little over $1.5 million after betting heavily on Nate Diaz in his fight against Jorge Masvidal. While most in the UFC world were shocked at the risk the Irishman took, Daniel Cormier used that to dismiss the notion that the UFC does not take care of its fighters financially.
The UFC and Dana White in particular are constantly bashed by the media as well as fans for fighter pay. There is an ever-present narrative that claims the UFC underpays its fighters especially when compared to the likes of the NFL and NBA. However, in the latest episode of the ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ podcast, Daniel Cormier rubbished this notion using McGregor as an example, saying,
“He really is. And I always think about how that kid when he won 50Gs he was yelling 50Gs baby. To now betting $500,000 on a boxing fight. It really does tell you what this sport can provide for you.”
THE RICH GET RICHER!!! Well done Nate, congrats! https://t.co/gz6A4cjfbw
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 7, 2024
Prior to the fight between Diaz and McGregor, ‘The Notorious’ confirmed that he had placed a $500,000 bet on his former rival to win the fight. Thankfully for McGregor, Diaz emerged victorious and with that, the Irishman more than tripled his money.
However, as things currently stand it does not seem as though Diaz will get to return the favor and bet on McGregor anytime this year.
McGregor to return in 2025?
Thousands of UFC fans were left heartbroken when it was announced that McGregor had dropped out of UFC 303 against Michael Chandler. ‘The Notorious’ suffered a broken toe which forced him to pull out of a fight for the first time in his career. Unfortunately, no information was released about the severity of the injury and how long the recovery would take.
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While fans initially assumed that the Irishman would come back before the end of this year, it is now looking more and more likely that his return will be pushed to 2025. The only available slot left for McGregor would be the year-end PPV card in December. If he can’t make it by then, 2025 would be the realistic target.
