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LAS VEGAS – In the nearly 22 years of its existence, there have been many great fighters and over-the-top, larger-than-life personalities who have competed in the UFC.
Only a handful of them, however, have truly transformed the business.
It’s obvious by their actions that UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and UFC president Dana White are convinced that featherweight contender Conor McGregor is about to join that group.
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Conor McGregor always has something to say. (AP)
To his credit, McGregor almost singlehandedly managed to turn just another defense for taciturn champion Jose Aldo into a worldwide event.Almost from the minute he signed with the UFC, McGregor targeted Aldo. He spoke disparagingly of the highly respected champion, who arguably is the finest pound-for-pound fighter in the world, as if he were little more than a Brazilian version of Kimbo Slice.
He was so consistent and so outlandish that the UFC not only matched him with Aldo, but set up an eight-city, five-country tour to promote the fight.
White suggested that UFC 189, which is Saturday at the MGM Grand and was to feature Aldo-McGregor in the main event, had a chance to become the best-selling pay-per-view in the sport’s history.
Aldo injured a rib and pulled out of the fight last week, and the UFC replaced him with Chad Mendes. But the fight is still expected to set a UFC record for largest gate in the U.S., with proceeds expected to exceed $7 million. That’s roughly 40 percent higher than the gate for UFC 187 in May at the MGM, which featured a light heavyweight title fight between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson in the main and a middleweight championship bout between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort in the co-main.
McGregor has come a long way in a very short period of time, but whether he becomes a transformative figure in the manner of Royce Gracie, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey, among a precious few others, still isn’t quite clear.
Gracie’s dominance in the early UFC changed thinking about the most effective form of fighting. Ortiz, Liddell and Couture took that a step further and transformed the perception of the sport both in the cage and out of it. They represent the true mixed martial artists, athletes who were skilled in more than one discipline.
They also relentlessly stumped for the sport’s acceptance and changed the notion of MMA fighters from bloodthirsty bar-room brawlers into finely conditioned professional athletes.
Lesnar’s ability to sell opened the sport to a wider audience while Rousey not only brought women in larger numbers than ever before, she showed that MMA fighters can have mainstream acceptance.
Rousey also proved that there was an audience for women’s fighting when many, notably White, insisted it couldn’t extend beyond a tiny niche.
McGregor is at the same point in his career that Chael Sonnen was a few years ago. In 2009, Sonnen made the decision to use his quick wit and love of professional wrestling to promote his fights.
He began to say outrageous things about then-middleweight champion Anderson Silva. He stayed in character as a professional wrestling heel, or villain, and talked his way into three title fights. But Sonnen, while a very good fighter, wasn’t good enough at the absolute highest level and didn’t have the staying power to last.
View gallery
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Conor McGregor, right, goes to work in his win over Dennis Siver. (AP)
McGregor, though, is young and turns 27 next week. He’s shown signs of being an elite fighter, though that is yet to be determined.He’s clever and quick-witted and loves the spotlight. He’s the first true superstar from Europe. Middleweight Michael Bisping built a big name and remains a significant draw in the United Kingdom. But McGregor is so popular in his native Ireland, for example, that UFC officials have at least pondered an outdoor fight at Dublin’s Croke Park, which would seat more than 90,000.
Fighters from virtually every corner of the globe have had success in the UFC, but most of them haven’t started a revolution. McGregor may have the ability to give MMA a boost in Europe that will be felt long past when he’s gone.
There are Europeans who are trying MMA because of the attention McGregor has garnered, and that could greatly improve the quality of athletes who go into MMA on the continent.
For McGregor to become a truly transformative figure, and not just a blip on the radar, he’s going to have to remain elite as a fighter for a long time. In addition, he’ll have to avoid debilitating injuries or illness, such as the diverticulitis that felled Lesnar, and he’ll have to avoid the kind of scandals that plagued Sonnen.
It all starts with winning. No matter how clever or quick-witted someone may be, if he or she can’t actually fight, the public’s interest won’t last.
That’s what makes his bout with Mendes so critical on Saturday. Mendes is the big, burly wrestler that McGregor hasn’t yet shown he can handle. If Mendes mauls him, no matter what McGregor says or does in the future, he’s going to be perceived as primarily an egotistical trash talker.
But if he wins, and then continues to win, his promotional abilities and his gift of gab will come into play and position him as a transformational figure in the history of the UFC
Only a handful of them, however, have truly transformed the business.
It’s obvious by their actions that UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and UFC president Dana White are convinced that featherweight contender Conor McGregor is about to join that group.
.
Conor McGregor always has something to say. (AP)
To his credit, McGregor almost singlehandedly managed to turn just another defense for taciturn champion Jose Aldo into a worldwide event.Almost from the minute he signed with the UFC, McGregor targeted Aldo. He spoke disparagingly of the highly respected champion, who arguably is the finest pound-for-pound fighter in the world, as if he were little more than a Brazilian version of Kimbo Slice.
He was so consistent and so outlandish that the UFC not only matched him with Aldo, but set up an eight-city, five-country tour to promote the fight.
White suggested that UFC 189, which is Saturday at the MGM Grand and was to feature Aldo-McGregor in the main event, had a chance to become the best-selling pay-per-view in the sport’s history.
Aldo injured a rib and pulled out of the fight last week, and the UFC replaced him with Chad Mendes. But the fight is still expected to set a UFC record for largest gate in the U.S., with proceeds expected to exceed $7 million. That’s roughly 40 percent higher than the gate for UFC 187 in May at the MGM, which featured a light heavyweight title fight between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson in the main and a middleweight championship bout between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort in the co-main.
McGregor has come a long way in a very short period of time, but whether he becomes a transformative figure in the manner of Royce Gracie, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey, among a precious few others, still isn’t quite clear.
Gracie’s dominance in the early UFC changed thinking about the most effective form of fighting. Ortiz, Liddell and Couture took that a step further and transformed the perception of the sport both in the cage and out of it. They represent the true mixed martial artists, athletes who were skilled in more than one discipline.
They also relentlessly stumped for the sport’s acceptance and changed the notion of MMA fighters from bloodthirsty bar-room brawlers into finely conditioned professional athletes.
Lesnar’s ability to sell opened the sport to a wider audience while Rousey not only brought women in larger numbers than ever before, she showed that MMA fighters can have mainstream acceptance.
Rousey also proved that there was an audience for women’s fighting when many, notably White, insisted it couldn’t extend beyond a tiny niche.
McGregor is at the same point in his career that Chael Sonnen was a few years ago. In 2009, Sonnen made the decision to use his quick wit and love of professional wrestling to promote his fights.
He began to say outrageous things about then-middleweight champion Anderson Silva. He stayed in character as a professional wrestling heel, or villain, and talked his way into three title fights. But Sonnen, while a very good fighter, wasn’t good enough at the absolute highest level and didn’t have the staying power to last.
View gallery
.
Conor McGregor, right, goes to work in his win over Dennis Siver. (AP)
McGregor, though, is young and turns 27 next week. He’s shown signs of being an elite fighter, though that is yet to be determined.He’s clever and quick-witted and loves the spotlight. He’s the first true superstar from Europe. Middleweight Michael Bisping built a big name and remains a significant draw in the United Kingdom. But McGregor is so popular in his native Ireland, for example, that UFC officials have at least pondered an outdoor fight at Dublin’s Croke Park, which would seat more than 90,000.
Fighters from virtually every corner of the globe have had success in the UFC, but most of them haven’t started a revolution. McGregor may have the ability to give MMA a boost in Europe that will be felt long past when he’s gone.
There are Europeans who are trying MMA because of the attention McGregor has garnered, and that could greatly improve the quality of athletes who go into MMA on the continent.
For McGregor to become a truly transformative figure, and not just a blip on the radar, he’s going to have to remain elite as a fighter for a long time. In addition, he’ll have to avoid debilitating injuries or illness, such as the diverticulitis that felled Lesnar, and he’ll have to avoid the kind of scandals that plagued Sonnen.
It all starts with winning. No matter how clever or quick-witted someone may be, if he or she can’t actually fight, the public’s interest won’t last.
That’s what makes his bout with Mendes so critical on Saturday. Mendes is the big, burly wrestler that McGregor hasn’t yet shown he can handle. If Mendes mauls him, no matter what McGregor says or does in the future, he’s going to be perceived as primarily an egotistical trash talker.
But if he wins, and then continues to win, his promotional abilities and his gift of gab will come into play and position him as a transformational figure in the history of the UFC
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