Boxing enthusiasts are blaming UFC star Conor McGregor for Ebanie Bridges‘ surprising defeat by Miyo Yoshida in their IBF bantamweight world title match. The Blonde Bomber’s loss came after McGregor signed the fighter to promote his Irish whiskey, something which some fans have taken umbrage with.
The bout between Bridges and Yoshida was part of the undercard for Devin Haney vs Regis Prograis in San Francisco. They were competing for the IBF bantamweight world title, which Bridges had held for 21 months.
Yoshida, the 7/1 underdog, impressed throughout the fight despite taking some heavy hits early on. The 35-year-old Japanese boxer managed to hold on and, thanks to a series of late punches, won by unanimous decision. After the result some fans were quick to blame McGregor for Bridges’ loss, citing her promotion of the UFC fighter’s Forged Irish Stout brand for the defeat.
“Ebanie Bridges feeling the full force of The McGregor Effect right now,” one fan commented, while another said: “Ebanie Bridges puts in more effort in @forgewhisky by Conor McGregor than her fight with Yoshida. Yoshida was just too fast, too strong for her. Leaving Tibbs boxing was a mistake. Too sharp and active for a slow Bridges.”
“Get nudity out of boxing,” another fan posted on X after the match. “This is the best result on the night. Ebanie Bridges is no longer focusing on her boxing. But on nudity on weighing day to impress #Onlyfan and Conor McGregor. She puts more energy into this than boxing recently.”
These comments from boxing fans might be referring to Bridges’ recent publicity stunt before her title defence. At the weigh-ins, the Aussie boxer showed off a temporary tattoo of the Forged Irish Stout logo on her torso, all while wearing lingerie.
It’s not surprising, as both Bridges and McGregor have teamed up to promote the business several times. Bridges has also worn similar outfits before most of her recent fights.
Even though her partnership with McGregor has been criticised, Bridges insists that her loss is simply because her opponent was the better fighter that night.
“Absolutely gutted, it wasn’t my night. Big congrats to my opponent @MiyoBluedog she was the better fighter tonight,” Bridges shared with her 350,000 followers on X. “Beautiful & humble, single mother. Seeing how much that win meant to her & her daughter did give me some warmth inside. A loss doesn’t define me.
“I have no quit, it’s all learning and I’ll be back better & stronger. Thank you to everyone who supports me. I love you all.”
Yoshida also praised Bridges after her victory, saying: “Thank you for being a great champion. You are a great person with great skills, achievements, accomplishments and personality. I respect you and I am very proud of you. Thank you for giving me, an unknown, a chance I can see why she is loved worldwide.”
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.