McGregor Mocks Canelo, Claims 300,000 Buys

Conor McGregor called Saul Alvarez a cornflake in a deleted post on X, claiming the boxer has about 300,000 pay-per-view buys in him.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Mixed Martial Arts

Conor McGregor mocked Saul Alvarez as a cornflake and claimed he has about 300,000 pay-per-view buys in him, in a post on X later deleted. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Conor McGregor called Saul "Canelo" Alvarez a "cornflake" and claimed he has about 300,000 buys in him, in a post on X that was later deleted. Alvarez responded to reporters that McGregor was doing Dana White's promotional work for him.

Why it matters

The exchange centers on pay-per-view drawing power, a key measure of commercial value in combat sports. Alvarez's reported $200 million asking price to fight David Benavidez is part of the debate over what his bouts actually generate.

Alvarez's 2017 bout with Golovkin drew about 1.3 million buys, while McGregor's 2017 Mayweather fight drew 4.3 million, with his UFC bouts against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier each clearing more than one million. Recent Alvarez fights against Jermall Charlo, Dmitry Bivol and John Ryder drew lower PPV numbers, and the basis for McGregor's 300,000 claim has not been explained.

The players

Conor McGregor

Irish mixed martial artist and former UFC champion who later fought Floyd Mayweather in a high-grossing boxing bout.

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez

Mexican boxer and one of the sport's biggest pay-per-view draws across multiple weight classes.

Dana White

UFC president who has long promoted both the UFC and major crossover events in combat sports.

The details

McGregor made the remarks in a post on X, which was later deleted. Alvarez's next fight is against Edgar Berlanga on Mexican Independence Weekend, the same date as UFC 306 at The Sphere in Las Vegas, which McGregor said would "run them from the strip."

2017: Alvarez's first Golovkin bout and McGregor's Mayweather bout draw their respective buy totals.
Mexican Independence Weekend: Alvarez faces Edgar Berlanga, on the same date as UFC 306.

Season Trajectory

McGregor's 4.3 million-buy Mayweather bout in 2017 remains the reference point for crossover pay-per-view demand in combat sports. The exchange frames Alvarez's recent PPV totals against that benchmark as the sport weighs how much star power still moves buys.

The buy-rate claims bear directly on Alvarez's Berlanga fight and UFC 306, both on the same weekend, so fans choosing between them face a clear scheduling conflict. The gap between the claimed 300,000 buys and the 1.3 million drawn by his Golovkin bout is worth weighing when judging the event's commercial reach.

The takeaway

Pay-per-view claims are easy to make and hard to verify, so comparing a fighter's recent buy totals against his past high-water marks gives a clearer picture than any single estimate.