Conor McGregor Lost in Gruesome Fashion at UFC 264, but He Still Outearned Dustin Poirier by $4 Million
Conor McGregor was the biggest loser at UFC 264 after breaking his ankle in the octagon, losing to Dustin Poirier by TKO, and classlessly calling out his opponent’s wife after the fight.
But it wasn’t all bad for The Notorious one. Despite losing in heartbreaking fashion on Saturday night, McGregor still outearned Poirier by nearly $4 million.
Even when McGregor loses, he still finds a way to win.
Conor McGregor loses to Dustin Poirier after suffering gruesome injury
Every McGregor fight is a spectacle for MMA fans around the world, but Saturday night’s bout against Poirier at UFC 264 was even more so. The matchup marked the third meeting and the rubber match between the two lightweight stars, so the winner would have the immediate upper hand in the heated rivalry.
The first round was hectic throughout, with both fighters trading devastating blows back and forth for the entire five minutes. In the middle of the round, Poirier wrestled McGregor to the ground and assaulted him with numerous punches and elbows to the face and head. But McGregor refused to give in.
The Irishman tried all he could to block Poirier’s punch attempts while on the ground, and he got back to his feet late in the round. However, with 10 seconds left in the round, McGregor stepped backward awkwardly and broke his left ankle.
Referee Herb Dean had no choice but to stop the fight after Round 1, which gave Poirier the win by TKO.
McGregor still outearned Poirier by $4 million at UFC 264
McGregor is by far the biggest draw in the UFC, and it’s been that way for quite some time. His fights always bring the most eyes to the sport, which typically pays off with fat paychecks for the former lightweight champion of the world.
That was no different at UFC 264, as McGregor walked away with $5,011,000 after the bout, according to The Sports Daily. Meanwhile, the winner of the fight, Poirier, earned just $1,021,000.
McGregor has now banked more than $25 million in earnings throughout his UFC career. Even in defeat, The Notorious still knows how to win.
Will we ever see McGregor vs. Poirier 4?
McGregor’s future in the UFC is more uncertain now than it has ever been. The former belt holder will be sidelined for quite some time after visibly snapping his ankle in the octagon Saturday night, and there’s no guarantee he’ll ever be able to return to the sport.
But if he does, Poirier will be waiting.
“We are going to fight again whether it’s on the octagon or on the sidewalk,” Poirier said after the bout.
McGregor came at Poirier and his wife, Jolie, hard after the fight, publicly claiming she’s been trying to message him on Instagram in private. Poirier didn’t take kindly to those words.
“You don’t say the stuff he said. My wife’s solid as a rock, I’m not worried about that. That’s noise,” he said. “He was saying he was going to kill me. You don’t say stuff like that, that he was going to murder me. You don’t say stuff about people’s wives either, but I know that’s zero chance. But there is a chance someone could die and you don’t wish that on anybody.”
It’s clear these two have a genuine disdain for one another. It would be a crime if we never saw McGregor vs. Poirier 4 — this time with no broken bones.
