5 UFC fighters who can be as popular as Conor McGregor
Any organization, even if successful, can always benefit from a range of fitting brand ambassadors who can be sent into the mainstream to reliably bait in as many spectators as possible, maybe converting them into lifelong fans.
Every sport, while also counting on the unity and patriotic element of the game, desires its stars.
People that truly stand out as exceptional performers, exhibit outstanding showmanship and have enough courtesy to make and keep things interesting, maintaining the attention of the fans they worked so hard to congregate.
For this, they work hard and not only on their skills inside the arena but also on the microphone, on their attire, on anything and everything that can transmit a positive message about their sport and why you should pay to watch them in action.
After WME IMG bought the UFC from its original parent company in Zuffa, things have gone a little bizarre in the sense that the company has turned extremely aggressive in terms of generating profit, even compromising legitimacy and fair play of the sport in the process.
Skipping ranks and building fights on the sole basis of popularity was never so obvious before.
Because of such dire consequences of buying a company for more than 4 billion dollars, a lot of people had to leave (including long time play by play commentator, Mike Goldberg) and many fighters were unexpectedly cut.
In these troubling times for the UFC, I would like to propose a few top contenders and champions whose stories deserves as much attention as Conor Mcgregor's and hopefully they'll be able to turn themselves into bigger draws.
#5 Max Holloway
A lot of fighters believe solely in trash talking to sell a fight (Chael Sonnen), some in a mixture of both trash talking and skill to back it up (Conor Mcgregor) and others don't even have to try to trash talk; their very existence is an embodiment of their attitude inside the octagon (Diaz brothers).
When Max Holloway stepped inside the octagon for the first time at the tender age of 20, it was obvious that he was a very special talent. And soon enough, at just 24 years of age, he was able to capture the Interim Featherweight title by being the first man to stop the former Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis by strikes.
Apart from the accomplishments that pretty much speak for themselves, it is exactly the attitude that Holloway has adopted through his rise to title contention. Letting his work speak for itself, Holloway has made a name for himself as one of the most versatile and well rounded mixed martial artists in the featherweight division.
Hopefully now that he is a champion, the UFC would actually consider his request of UFC Hawaii which could lead him to being a national superstar or at least in the state of Hawaii, not a bad move to make by any means since he has all the ingredients of a successful draw, being honest and funny on the microphone and ferocious inside the octagon.