5 times Conor McGregor used his star power to get his way in the UFC
Conor McGregor is the biggest star in MMA history. He has been the driving force behind the five most successful PPVs the UFC has ever seen. The Irishman won over Dana White and upper management with his charismatic trash talk and dynamic performances inside the octagon.
No one will ever forget his 13-second knockout win against the legendary José Aldo, nor will anyone ever forget his all-time great masterclass against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205. Due to his standing as the sport's greatest star, Conor McGregor has enjoyed certain perks that no other fighter has.
While he wasn't capable of securing a sought-after exception from USADA, he has used his star power to secure other perks from the UFC.
The list details five times 'The Notorious' used his status to get certain concessions from the promotion.
#5 Conor McGregor convinced the UFC to let him box Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Dana White has always been eager to keep the world of MMA and the world of boxing separate. Barring the odd exception where a boxer like James Toney challenged Randy Couture to an MMA bout, the UFC has rarely ever entertained stylistic clashes of that nature.
Aug26.2017
5 years ago today,
Conor McGregor & Floyd Mayweather competed in one of the most lucrative fights in combat sports history. https://t.co/LCS37pNC8T
During his peak success, Anderson Silva expressed a desire to box Roy Jones Jr. At the time, 'The Spider' was the sport's biggest star, but his request was turned down by the UFC. It was only after Conor McGregor's emergence that the UFC agreed to let one of their fighters venture outside the promotion.
In 2017, the Irishman secured a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. The bout was a monetary success but it was never repeated afterwards despite other fighters requesting boxing matches of their own.
#4 Proper No. Twelve being an official sponsor at UFC 229
At UFC 229, fans witnessed two bitter rivals step inside the octagon to settle their differences. Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov had an entertaining bout that ended with 'The Eagle' scoring a submission win in the fourth round. A more curious element of their matchup was the PPV's official sponsor.
.@TheNotoriousMMA Proper No. Twelve will be an official sponsor for UFC 229. #UFC229 https://t.co/EBfM0wbicB
Conor McGregor's whiskey company, Proper No. Twelve was revealed to be the official sponsor of the event. This is something that no other UFC fighter would have been capable of securing. The whiskey brand's logo was on the octagon's canvas, much to the Irishman's delight.
It's a concession that Dana White and co. made for their promotion's most valuable fighter.
#3 Keeping Artem Lobov in the UFC
Artem Lobov is no longer an active competitor in professional MMA. Instead, 'The Russian Hammer' has found a new life as a bareknuckle boxer. His greatest success came against former world champion boxer Paulie Malignaggi. Before that, however, he was a UFC fighter.
Artem Lobov granted release by the UFC | themaclife.com/featured-posts… https://t.co/BG2DhwUs99
Unfortunately, Lobov was not a very successful fighter. His entire stretch as a mixed martial artist under Dana White's banner consisted of seven fights. Across those seven bouts, 'The Russian Hammer' lost five times and only won twice. He was allowed to remain in the promotion due to his affiliation with Conor McGregor.
Any other fighter would have been released from the promotion much sooner with his record. Only former champions and beloved legends can afford that kind of leeway. Furthermore, he was only released by the UFC after requesting it, not because the promotion made the decision.
#2 Becoming a simultaneous two-division champion
Before Conor McGregor, only B.J. Penn was allowed to try and become a simultaneous two-division champion in the UFC. Every other fighter who tried to do so was turned away as the promotion preferred their champions to stick to their divisions instead of venturing into others.
6 years ago today. Conor McGregor became the first UFC double champion. An iconic moment.🐐 https://t.co/ltu6yxHcjb
But at UFC 205, Conor McGregor revealed the full extent of his power. He convinced the UFC to let him challenge Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight throne while he was still the reigning featherweight champion. The Irishman was successful and managed to realize his goal.
He was afforded an opportunity that wasn't even a possibility for most fighters at the time. While things have since changed, it's only due to 'The Notorious' breaking down barriers.
#1 Conor McGregor influencing the selection of participants for TUF 31
Despite his best efforts, Conor McGregor no longer seems capable of keeping his name free of controversy. The Irishman was recently the subject of another physical assault allegation, this time from a woman who claims to have jumped from his yacht. While that case has since died down, another accusation arose.
This guy is my teammate!
Loik Radzhabov 2x PFL finalist 155! Work so hard and was ready to finally get his shot in the UFC on TUF was in Vegas everything good to go! This freaking Conor bring his own guys and they kick him out! 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️ Not Fear! https://t.co/qQ0JXspn75
This time, however, it revolved around the former champion's role as a coach in the upcoming 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter. McGregor will be coaching fighters alongside Michael Chandler, but it's been said that he has used his starpower to influence the selection of participants for TUF 31.
While the Irishman has denied the allegations, other UFC fighters like Gilbert Burns corroborated the claims by revealing that one of his teammates was cut from TUF. In response to mounting evidence, McGregor taunted the MMA world with a mocking Instagram post alluding to his role in cutting some contestants.