Conor McGregor added to his immense wealth on Saturday night while betting a big chunk of money on the UFC 307 headliner between Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree.
Just as ‘Poatan’ was getting ready to defend his light heavyweight title for the third time in 2024, the Irish megastar locked in a bet via the online gambling site Duelbits, putting $1 million on the fight ending via either knockout or TKO.
Of course, Pereira would go on to finish the fight in the fourth round, pummeling ‘The War Horse’ against the fence until referee Marc Goddard had seen enough.
This angle of Alex Pereira walking down Khalil Rountree is brutal pic.twitter.com/p2HxPNnJlw
— 𝙈𝙈𝘼 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙪𝙨 🏝️ (@mmamarcuss) October 7, 2024
The win not only moved Pereira to 9-1 inside the Octagon, but it also added $200,000 to McGregor’s bank account.
If you don’t take risks you won’t drink champagne. @Duelbits #anotherone #winner #bestodds pic.twitter.com/51Fsi0GvdS
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 7, 2024
Including the $1 million he placed on the wager, McGregor cashed out a total of $1.2 million.
“I couldn’t pick a winner until the fight started, but I just knew there was going to be a KO,” McGregor wrote immediately following the fight. “A million on a KO by either fighter at 1/5. Good bet! $200,000 profit! NICE!!!”
The former two-division champ was also complimentary of the main event in Salt Lake City, writing in a since-deleted post on X:
“That was real fighting in the @ufc main event last night. Never settle for that other bullshit, @ufc fans! Never! Bravo Khalil and Alex! REAL.”
Did Conor McGregor Violate the UFC’s Athlete Conduct Policy by Betting on the UFC 307 Main Event?
Interestingly, McGregor’s bet on Pereira vs. Rountree comes exactly two years after the promotion sent out a memo to fighters prohibiting any of its athletes from betting on fights, whether or not they were participants. Technically, that would mean McGregor is in violation of the UFC’s Athlete Conduct Policy by both being under contract with the promotion and placing the bet on the light heavyweight title tilt.
UFC just issued this memo to fighters and managers regarding a change in their athlete conduct policy:
UFC fighters are now prohibited from gambling on any UFC fight, regardless of if they are involved or not. They can still be sponsored just not allowed to bet at all. pic.twitter.com/6zhuIITxmx
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 17, 2022
In October 2022, the UFC barred its athletes from betting on fights following a gambling scandal surrounding former fighter and MMA coach James Krause.
Athletes are still allowed to engage in sponsorship deals with gambling sites, but fighters placing bets on UFC bouts is a no-no that could land ‘Mystic Mac’ in some hot water.
