Conor McGregor sells a million PPVs with no undercard, where others cannot get close to it with a stacked card - Fans debate if the UFC needs the Irishman in the wake of his upcoming Hollywood debut
After conquering the world of combat sports, Conor McGregor is now venturing into Hollywood. The former two-division UFC champion is reportedly set to feature alongside American actor Jake Gyllenhaal in what is purported to be a reboot of 1989’s classic ‘Road House’. The film will mark McGregor's acting debut.
While fans are excited to see McGregor's acting chops, this news leaves them with one big question. Will Conor McGregor return to the octagon again? The Irishman is expected to return to the octagon sometime next year. However, following the announcement of his upcoming movie, there seems to be a lack of clarity about the situation.
If McGregor never fights again, what would that mean for the UFC, as the promotion will lose its most popular star? After all, here's a man who has delivered some of the highest-selling pay-per-views in the promotion's history. Fans seem divided on the matter.
Some believe that the UFC will remain unaffected in McGregor's absence from the sport and that other big names will come up to fill the vacuum. Others believe that it could affect the promotion's pay-per-view numbers. They pointed out that even without a stacked undercard, pay-per-views featuring McGregor sell the most, so he is vital for the growth of the promotion.
Check out fan opinions on whether the UFC needs McGregor in the tweets below:
The UFC doesn’t need Conor McGregor anymore.
@ItsPauliMMA Conor sells a milliom PPVs with no undercard, where others cannot get close to it with a stacked card! I would say UFC does, however, MMA does not.
@ItsPauliMMA Yes It Does He Makes The Most Money And PPV Buys. His Trash Talk Etc. So yes they do need him .
@FaZe_Jack719 @ItsPauliMMA They don’t. The UFC will still be multi billion dollar organization without him
@ItsPauliMMA Him vs Poirier 3 did more PPVs than the UFC’s done all of 2022 btw
@FonzoOnMMA They could always use him, sure. But they don’t need him. He’s done his part to help them grow to where it is now. They’re fine without him at this point.
@ItsPauliMMA He makes them the most money, they do. Nobody else comes even close🤔
@ItsPauliMMA The up and coming generation is going to be even better than what we currently have. Conor really set the stage and the bar, but I am so excited for the fighters coming up in the regional scene!
@ItsPauliMMA The UFC Doesn’t need any 1 star. Never have, never will. Even Ronda and Conor in their prime, they figure ways to put on good shows with household names. They always find a way.
@ItsPauliMMA They don’t NEED him but having him doesn’t hurt
@ItsPauliMMA They don’t need him to succeed but they do need him to do over 1.5m ppv buys. I’m not even sure there’s anybody on the roster other than him doing over a million without a stacked card.
@ItsPauliMMA I think it does. UFC has declined in my opinion. The cards are no longer all bangers. They have many cards that are not stacked. Remember 5 years ago. Every card was stacked with stars. Not anymore.
@JackLkennedy4_7 @ItsPauliMMA I hate to admit it, but without Khabib, Jon, or Conor, it is declining, and its just not bringing the same hype
@ItsPauliMMA Money aside… outside the cage nobody is as entertaining as Conor. Fight week and months leading up to his fight are unmatched. The UFC doesn’t need Conor but they’re much better with than without.
@ItsPauliMMA No one will ever reach the fame of Conor.
@LarriorfanLd35 @ItsPauliMMA Yes there will be, they'll create it just like they did with him.
Welterweight contender feels Conor McGregor shouldn't climb up to 170lbs
Conor McGregor has previously expressed a desire to compete in the welterweight division going forward. After suffering a leg injury during his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier last year, the Irishman has bulked up considerably and hinted that he wouldn't want to make the grueling cut to 155lbs anymore.
Former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns doesn't think McGregor has any business competing at 170lbs. 'Durinho' claimed that the southpaw won't be able to deal with the power of welterweights and said he'd love to "beat the s*** out of" McGregor if they end up sharing the octagon.
During an interaction with MMA Fighting, Burns said:
"He’s not a welterweight but if he wants to fight at welterweight, I’d love to beat the s*** out of Conor. I think he’s not going to take that punch. I’m not even talking about grappling cause that’s not fair. [I’d] just take him down and maul him but a fight with Conor, it’s a win-win for me. I’m going to beat him up and I’m going to get a ton of crazy money."