MMA has become one of the biggest sports in the world, with fans from everywhere tuning in to watch some of the greatest fighters go head to head. The Ultimate Fighter Championship or the UFC is the biggest promoter and has been around since 1993.
However, once Dana White became the face of UFC, the sport skyrocketed and brought in millions of viewers for each pay-per-view fight. Besides the fact that the stars of MMA love fighting, they are also into other activities, such as gambling. Keep reading If you want to know if your favorite fighter enjoys a night out at the casino.
MMA Stars That Love to Gamble
Not only is it the world’s gambling capital, but Las Vegas is also where the biggest fights happen. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that many of the MMA stars are also down to spend some time in the casinos. Here are some fighters that like placing a few bets every now and then.
Conor McGregor
One of the biggest names in MMA, McGregor, burst onto the scene and caught the attention of millions of people. His persona and attitude, and of course, his ability, have brought in new fans in the past years. A few years back, McGregor may have pulled a bluff on the UFC when he stopped doing press and mentioned retirement before the fight against Nate Diaz. Ultimately, this led to both fighters being paid more and had an effect on future fights that the UFC organized. On many occasions, McGregor has been seen placing bets on football games, horse racing and MMA. Additionally, like many other players, he has played poker in the famous Las Vegas casinos.
Anderson Silva
Silva is considered to be one of or possibly the greatest MMA fighter in history. Now, before he went on social media, everyone knew him as a fighter and one that loved his martial arts. When he finally surfaced on social networks, fans couldn’t help but notice his love for sports betting.
While some may have heard that Silva has attended some poker tournaments, by just one glance at this social media, you will see that sports betting is his passion. Over the years, Silva has signed multiple deals with different sports betting companies to promote their services.
Terrence Chan
Terrence Chan certainly worked at a casino in the past, but he wasn’t an employee. Terrance was a professional poker player with earnings over $1 million playing. His finest accomplishment was obtaining two Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) wristbands simultaneously. He began his MMA career in Vancouver and stunned everyone by winning by technical knock-out in the first round. Apart from his MMA success, he’s known to like placing bets every now and then, and not just on fights.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
We know that seeing Mayweather on this list is a bit strange; however, on multiple occasions, Mayweather has said he is looking forward to fighting in MMA. Now, besides having the perfect record and making hundreds of millions from his fights, it is known that Mayweather is a serious gambler.
Sports betting has been his passion throughout his career, and he has made millions from basketball games, boxing fights and MMA. One bet that caught the public’s eye was betting on the Miami Heat to win over the Indiana Pacers in game 7 back in 2013. It has been said that he placed a $5.9 million bet and racked up $6.5 million in profits.
Dana White
Another colossal figure in the UFC is Dana While, and while he might not be a fighter, he has had a significant influence on the UFC and why it is so prominent today. Besides being the face of the UFC, it is well known that White loves the game of Blackjack.
He is so good at it that many casinos in Las Vegas have placed a ban and won’t let him play. One of the casinos even gave him a UFC belt lookalike, meaning he has become the champion and doesn’t need to come back again. He also loves placing bets on certain fighters, with Canelo Alvarez being one of them.
Final Thoughts
Betting and MMA have been intertwined forever, and millions are wagered each time a fight is announced. It is no wonder that some of the stars are willing to bet on other fighters or themselves once in a while.