Yahoo Finance UFC rival accuses Conor McGregor of $656k charity snub
UFC 257 back in January might have been the friendliest Conor McGregor has ever been with an opponent.
After the Irish MMA legend was comprehensively defeated by American rival Dustin Poirier in his UFC comeback at the start of the year, the second fight between the pair after McGregor's comprehensive 2014 K.O. against Poirier.
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The pair agreed to a trilogy fight soon after UFC 257, with McGregor pledging to donate the entirety of his purse from the third bout between the pair to a charity operated by Poirier and his wife, Jolie.
The pledge amounted to $500,000 USD ($656,000 AUD).
McGregor was highly praised for the gesture and was even publicly thanked by Poirier himself for the donation afterwards.
“I don’t want to make it seem like we’re up here giving each other back massages but Conor, I just want to clear the air: Conor’s team, McGregor Sport & Entertainment, did reach out to my foundation and they are starting the process toward that donation,” Poirier said back in January.
“So Conor, man-to-man, you’re going to help a lot of people with that.”
But with the pair's rematch at UFC 264 coming ever closer, McGregor's typically brash prediction that he would defeat Poirier with a front kick to the nose seemingly irritating the American.
After McGregor posted the prediction, accompanied by images of him practicing the move, to Instagram, Poirier felt compelled to point out that the Irishman was yet to actually follow through on the charity donation.
“That’s a fun prediction! @TheNotoriousMMA you also predicted a donation to my foundation and you and your team stopped responding after the fight in January. See you soon. July 10th Paid In Full!," Poirier tweeted on Monday.
That's a fun prediction! @TheNotoriousMMA you also predicted a donation to my foundation and you and your team stopped responding after the fight in January.
See you soon.
July 10th Paid In Full!— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) April 11, 2021
McGregor has yet to respond to the accusation from Poirier, with the two set to face off once again in July.
The Irish fighter took to Twitter last week to tell Poirier he'd be ready for the tactics that were used to defeat him in the octagon last time.
"Good to hear Dustin, I hope so. As last time you backed up and shot inside the first 30 seconds. I’ll be in the middle from the very go if you want it. You know that. I’ll be ready for the tactics this time too tho. See you in there."
Jon Jones talks up Francis Ngannou UFC showdown
Fans hoping to see one of the most anticipated heavyweight fights in recent memory might just get their wish. Jon Jones feels confident a fight against champion Francis Ngannou is going to happen.
Jones spoke to FightHype.com and confirmed he believes the fight "will happen,"
At the beginning of the video, Jones said he "hopes" the fight will happen and added he's getting in shape just in case.
Around the 1-minute mark, Jones was asked how confident he feels about both sides coming together. Jones answered, "I think it's going to happen. I think it's going to happen. I think the UFC, eventually, will do the right thing."
Jones is hoping for a mega payday if he takes on Ngannou. Immediately following Ngannou's win over Stipe Miocic in March, Jones tweeted "show me the money," a presumed directive toward UFC president Dana White.
Both Jones and Ngannou are interested in the fight, so it's just a matter of White making the money worth it for Jones.
While that tweet — and subsequent ones — from Jones indicate things are rocky from a negotiation standpoint, there's optimism the bout will happen.
Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole believes it will get done, citing Jones saying the fight was an "opportunity of a lifetime."
Jones' comments Thursday indicate he believes the fight will take place as well. Given the hype surrounding Jones and Ngannou, whatever it takes to get Jones on board will likely be well worth it for UFC.
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