5 UFC fighters who should run their own promotion

Following his retirement, Khabib Nurmagomedov purchased his own MMA promotion

Last Friday, former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov saw the United States debut of his growing promotion, Eagle FC. 'The Eagle' joins a growing list of fighters who have gotten involved in MMA promotions behind the scenes.

I was pleased with Eagle FC's USA debut. Matchmaking seemed fair, fighters came out to compete. Great job, Khabib and co. #EagleFC

Last year, Jorge Masvidal launched his own bare-knuckle MMA promotion. He's also involved with iKON fighting championship and explains it was a business move that made sense to someone like him who knows the fight game as well as anyone.

Starting up a new promotion can also be an opportunity to bring the sport to a new audience and tap into a new market. This is the route Kamaru Usman took and is heavily involved in new MMA promotion 54, which recently held their first event in Lagos, Nigeria.

Fighters may choose to start up their own MMA promotions for a variety of reasons but not just anyone can make this step. The fighters in question must be popular enough to bring some eyes to their promotion and have to find a way to make it stand out from the wealth of other organizations that already exist.

Here are five UFC fighters who should run their own promotion:

#5. Donald Cerrone - UFC lightweight / welterweight contender

Donald Cerrone holds a record of 36-16 (2 NC)

While Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone has struggled to pick up wins as of late, he remains as popular as ever and a true icon of the sport. His popularity, combined with the famous 'BMF' ranch he owns, could make him a great candidate to start up his own MMA promotion.

Donald Cerrone will fight Joe Lauzon at UFC event on April 30th. (first rep. @MMAjunkie) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN https://t.co/3Dj9rInrqf

Cerrone regularly brings in top local fighters to his ranch to help him prepare for upcoming fights. This will likely give him a strong knowledge of the top fighters in the area which would be a great starting point to create a roster.

The factor that could really make a 'Cowboy' promotion unique is the ranch itself. Hosting fights from his remote ranch in New Mexico would provide a fun, different atmosphere that would allow the promotion to stand out.

Given his great relationship with the UFC, there seems to be no reason why we can't see a fight night on the 'BMF' ranch arrive on the UFC Fight Pass one day.