Conor McGregor got himself in hot water with this one, but nevertheless, he won his bet.
During UFC 307, the famous Irish fighter placed a last second bet for $1,000,000 – as you do – on the Alex Pereira vs Khalil Rountree Jr fight. He wasn’t sure who would win, but he was confident one of them would knock the other out, so he bet on either fighter to win by KO or TKO.
To be honest, it wasn’t exactly a huge call.
Both Pereira and Rountree were ferocious fighters known for KOs and TKOs, so the chances of that result were high. That’s why the odds were only 1/5, but with a $1 million stake the returns are still significant.
When Pereira finished Rountree with an uppercut followed by two devastating body shots, Conor McGregor’s bet was a winner and he wound up $200,000 (£154,257) better off.
He placed his bet with Duelbits, a little known bookmaker in the UK but a popular choice in America for punters who use crypto currencies.
McGregor in Trouble for Betting
McGregor initially posted evidence of his bet on his Twitter account with the text:
I placed this bet last minute as the fighters made their walk out lol.”
“I could not pick a winner right up to the bout but just knew a KO was going to occur one way or the other with these two fighters facing off, so that was my bet! A mili on a KO be either fighter at 1/5. Good bet! A solid $200k return! NICE!!!”
However, this was quickly deleted after it was pointed out that he wasn’t allowed to bet since he was still on the UFC’s roster. He then posted more evidence of his bet on his Instagram profile which stayed up.
He has placed more bets since then too, so it seems he isn’t worried about breaking the rules about rostered fighters betting on the sport. He had been inactive since 2021 which could explain it, but he still had 2 fights left on his contract.
Conor had said he planned to return to fighting in 2025, but whether or not his betting activity will restrict him from doing so remains to be seen. It could even be seen as a break of contract. However, McGregor has been signed to the UFC since before the betting rules changed in 2022, so he could get around it since his contract was signed before this date.