Conor McGregor slams Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia’s ‘STUPID’ bet of their entire purse

Conor McGregor slammed Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia’s decision to stake the entire purse on their megafight on Saturday evening, urging the fighters to instead ‘enjoy’ their hard-earnt money.

The agreement between Davis and Garcia was made during an Instagram Live stream that saw Davis appear alongside YouTuber Kai Cenat until he was joined by his rival. 

Davis suggested the idea with Garcia agreeing, before Davis quickly left the stream to put the plans in place. 

Mail Sport reported that Davis is guaranteed to earn £1.2million ($1.5m) from the fight, compared to his compatriot’s relatively-paltry £281,000 ($350,000), and pay-per-view share is split 60-40 in Davis’ favour.  

But as the news broke, the MMA superstar derided the bet as ‘stupid’ as he took to Twitter to share his thoughts. 

The MMA superstar argued that the bets were rarely seen through and that the fighters should instead ‘enjoy’ their hard-fought cash

McGregor posted: ‘Has any competing fighters bet their purse against each other and then followed thru [sic]? We should stop doing this.

‘Fighting is tough. It can go anyway. Luck plays a hell of a part. Don’t be saying you are betting your fight purse against each other. Because it never happens. And it’s stupid.

‘Train hard. Fight hard. Earn your dough. And then enjoy it. God bless’. 

Similar challenges have been more frequent of late, with Jake Paul and Tommy Fury agreeing an ‘all or nothing’ deal ahead of their blockbuster fight in Saudi Arabia. 

However, no contracts were signed as Fury beat Paul by split-decision.  

One fan was quick to ask if McGregor would consider making the bet with Michael Chandler ahead of their as-yet unscheduled UFC clash, but the Irishman joked that he made more money than the company’s entire roster put together. 

The fighters made the decision to bet the purse on the result during an Instagram Live stream

McGregor is MMA’s biggest star, and was previously named the highest-paid athlete in the world by Forbes magazine in 2021. 

His 2018 bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov still tops the list of the most PPV buys in history. 

On Saturday, 24-year-old Garcia, as the underdog, has more to gain from the audacious challenge, as he could earn more than four times his current fee should he swipe the win. 

The California native is currently 23-0, with 19 career KOs, but his 28-year-old opponent’s 28-0 career record – with 26 of those coming as knockouts – is the strong favourite in Las Vegas.