Tyron Woodley explains why he’ll be betting on Conor McGregor against Floyd Mayweather

On August 26, UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor will step into the boxing ring with an 0-0 pro record. He’ll do so against Floyd Mayweather Jr., a man with a record of 49-0 and a reputation as one of the best boxers ever. As such, it’s easy to understand why the Irishman has been pegged as sizeable underdog heading into this fight.

UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, who has had several heated exchanges with McGregor in the past, does not expect McGregor to beat Floyd Mayweather. All the same, he’ll be putting some money down on him, because he believes anything is possible in combat sports.

Woodley explained this feeling on a recent episode of his podcast, The Morning Wood Show.

“I’ll be honest, me and Conor ain’t really see eye to eye on a lot of things. At the end of the day I still want to scrap him, but I’m betting on Conor,” Woodley said (via BloodyElbow). “You know why? I bet a grand, I win 6,500 bucks. I bet 2 grand, 13 grand. It’s freaking combat sports. Anybody got a chance at all times, so I’m willing to lose for the chance to win because that’s crazy that somebody that is that big of a underdog.

“Like on paper, you and I can see how and why. Who knows how it might go? I might be able to bet 100 bucks to win 1000. He might be plus 1000 at the end of the day when people really start putting their analytical hats on this fight and style match up.”

“I don’t know. I don’t think he’s going to win, but if he proves me wrong, at least I can cash in on it.”

Do you think Tyron Woodley is right to bet on Conor McGregor, or is he risking his money unnecessarily?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 6/19/2017.