Conor McGregor Donates $500,000 to Louisiana Charity, Resolves Dustin Poirier Dispute
Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor can draw a line under their charity dispute following a large donation to a Boys & Girls Club in Louisiana was made by McGregor.
The pair had argued on Twitter following accusations from “The Diamond” that the Irishman hadn’t made the $500,000 donation as agreed before they fought in January. Poirier later apologized to “The Notorious” and admitted he “jumped the gun.” ESPN has been contacted by club president and CEO Missy Andrade who confirmed the news following a post on their Instagram account. Andrade said she got an unexpected call from a McGregor representative last week and the money came on Monday. The donation is independent of Poirier’s foundation and will be used for the Boys & Girls Club’s eight-week summer program and will help over 600 children.
“It’s significant,” Andrade said. “It was totally unexpected, of course. Extremely appreciated and it’s really a game-changer for our organization and the kids we have.”
“Our kids get to benefit from this and also we wanted to make sure we were being respectful of everyone involved, not wanting to get involved in anyone’s personal differences or anything like that,” Andrade said. “I think from my standpoint, all of these dollars go to the kids we serve and that’s a win for everyone across the board, especially the kids in our community who have had a challenging year to say the least, as have all kids.”
Poirier commented on the donation and said he didn’t mind McGregor bypassing his charity and donating straight to the Boys & Girls Club instead. Poirier was speaking to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
“Helping people in need was the mission and goal from the jump,” said Poirier, who added that The Good Fight Foundation is working with Manny Pacquiao and MMA fighter Justin Wren to help build housing and water wells in Uganda ahead of UFC 264.
“It’s not my money — it’s the people’s money,” Poirier said of McGregor’s pledged donation. “I don’t know why people think that or get that from. … It wasn’t a slap in the face. It was a high-five, because the people in the community are going to win.”
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