Former UFC champion Conor McGregor faced a costly setback after losing a $1 million double bet on the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson boxing match and the upcoming UFC 309 heavyweight bout.
The Irish sports star publicly declared his wager on social media less than an hour before the Paul-Tyson fight, posting: “My two fight bets this weekend! Tyson KO, Jones Stoppage. $1million double on.”
McGregor’s bet required both Mike Tyson to knock out Jake Paul and Jon Jones to stop Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. However, his chances were dashed when a unanimous decision victory was awarded to Paul over the 58-year-old Tyson after eight rounds in Arlington, Texas.
Following the disappointing result, McGregor promptly deleted his betting announcement from social media. The former champion had previously claimed success in sports betting, stating last month that he was “up $7.7m in gambling profits this year” from wagers including Spain to win the Euros and Argentina to win the Copa America.
In response to the event’s outcome, Paul addressed McGregor in a social media post, writing: “Dear Conor, I know you told my team you would fight me at 170lbs. That’s never happening. But let’s run it in MMA. No weight class. Just like how it used to be done. But you won’t.”
McGregor, who hasn’t competed since 2021 due to injury, has built an estimated net worth of $200 million through various business ventures, including his involvement with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships. His most substantial payday came from his 2017 boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, earning approximately $100 million.
The 36-year-old was scheduled to return to competition against Michael Chandler this year but withdrew due to a toe injury. Meanwhile, Tyson’s loss to Paul marked his first boxing appearance in 19 years, with his last victory dating back to 2002 against Clifford Etienne.
