Is Conor McGregor going to be the surprise headliner for UFC 300? Exploring the possibility
The general consensus among the MMA fanbase was that Conor McGregor should have been one half of the UFC 300 main event. After all, the Irishman is the sport's biggest-ever star, and it isn't even close.
To many, it makes no sense for the promotion to have a marquee event like UFC 300 without its greatest star as the headline act. So despite all things pointing to McGregor fighting on another event, his octagon return may be a surprise for UFC 300.
It wouldn't be the first time that the UFC was tight-lipped about a fighter's return, nor would it be the first time that the truth was somewhat bent to engineer a favorable outcome, which in this case, would be surprising the MMA fanbase with a McGregor headliner in the sport's biggest event this year.
Conor McGregor may very well be in the Brock Lesnar UFC 200 role
In the pre-Conor McGregor era, there was no box office attraction who commanded more mainstream attention than Brock Lesnar. Back in 2009, he was a former WWE star, as well as the reigning UFC heavyweight champion. This was when the UFC adhered to a specific structural model for its title fights.
The heaviest weight class would always headline events. Naturally, with Lesnar's popularity, he headlined UFC 100 and it became highest selling pay-per-view event in the promotion's history. At least until McGregor's arrival. Nevertheless, Lesnar was brought back for UFC 200 as a surprise.
Unfortunately, his presence on the UFC 200 card was revealed prematurely by renowned MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, for which he earned Dana White's ire. Perhaps this is the route that White and co. are taking with McGregor.
After all, there is still no official date for his fight with Michael Chandler, with the UFC only revealing that it will take place in 2024. With USADA out of the way, there should be no other obstructions keeping McGregor from making his octagon return.
Logically, nothing else should be stalling the bout. Instead, it is likely due to the promotion's decision to keep the Irishman's UFC 300 appearance a secret. Additionally, a McGregor headliner may even be necessary, given how stacked UFC 298 and UFC 299 are.
Fans have largely bemoaned how poorly UFC 300's fight card has looked by comparison. That could all change if the former two-division champion makes his octagon return at the event. And it would make sense, as UFC 300 must be the promotion's signature event in 2024.
It cannot be overshadowed by other events. The easiest way to ensure this is by booking a McGregor headliner. It is overdue and would right the wrong of the Irishman's absence from UFC 200, when he was originally scheduled to headline alongside Nate Diaz.
With his 36th birthday looming over him this year, there will be no other chance to have McGregor presiding over an event of this magnitude. UFC 200 was a missed opportunity. UFC 300 is the promotion's last chance for him to headline such a card while he is still close to the peak of his powers and popularity.
Why the UFC might not book Conor McGregor to headline UFC 300
Unfortunately, despite the wants of MMA fans everywhere, there is also the likelihood that UFC 300 won't feature Conor McGregor at all. The promotion has moved in something of a different direction in recent years. With highly lucrative TV deals, the UFC is not struggling to break even.
In financial terms, it is thriving. The UFC brand is more recognizable than it has ever been. In the promotion's eyes, no athlete is, or should be allowed to be, bigger than the brand itself. McGregor, however, has come dangerously close. To hinge UFC 300's success on his return is to admit that he is bigger than the brand.
UFC 300 should be big enough to reach its expected heights without an appearance from McGregor. That, in this scenario, may very well be the hope of the promotion's chief executives. Furthermore, this confidence in UFC 300 being able to stand on its own feet might explain the reasoning behind the promotion's recent decision-making.
UFC 298 and UFC 299 are filled to the brim with must-watch fights featuring well-known names. It is possible that Dana White and co. are trying to have three consecutive hyper-successful events in UFC 298, UFC 299 and UFC 300. The two prior pay-per-views are too stacked to fail.
Meanwhile, the expectation is that UFC 300, as a spectacle and celebration of the promotion's history, will be too big to fail. So if this is the case, where does McGregor go? The UFC is likely saving him for one of its lukewarm events, where he can be used to draw fan interest despite an otherwise weak fight card.
This was, after all, the case with UFC 246, which had weak matchups, but still sold 1.35 million pay-per-view buys and became the fifth most successful event in the promotion's history, all off the strength of McGregor's return after more than a year away following a crushing defeat at Khabib Nurmagomedov's hands.
Perhaps, with this approach, the UFC is trying to ensure that whichever event the Irishman headlines, will be one of its most successful events of the year.