The UFC is "icing" Conor McGregor for selfish reasons, theorizes Ariel Helwani - "It's a travesty"
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani recently shared his thoughts on Conor McGregor not being featured on the milestone UFC 300 card in April. Helwani expressed his dismay at the promotion "icing" out the Irishman and outlined some potential reasons behind their behavior.
UFC 300 is expected to be one of the biggest fight cards the promotion has hosted in recent years and will be packed with blockbuster matchups. Given the importance of such a momentous event, many questioned the absence of the promotion's biggest superstar.
McGregor recently declared that he wants to fight at the UFC 300 event and previously slammed the promotion for mistreating him at the 'Day of Reckoning' boxing event in Saudi Arabia in December. A few days later, Helwani confirmed that 'The Notorious' desperately tried to get a spot on UFC 300 but was denied.
During a recent episode of The MMA Hour, Helwani speculated that the UFC is delaying McGregor's return due to his contract status and that they intend on using him as a bargaining chip for future sponsorship or broadcast deals. He said:
"You're wasting the biggest draw in the history of the game. Trust me, when I tell you he has two fights left, that's not a coincidence. It's good to have him around when you negotiate your TV deals or pay-per-view deals... There's no reason why this guy shouldn't be at 300... What are we doing here? He's ready to go. He has told us this... Why are you icing him? It's crazy. It's a travesty."
Daniel Cormier campaigns for Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz trilogy fight at UFC 300
Daniel Cormier recently opened up about Conor McGregor potentially fighting Michael Chandler at UFC 300. He claimed that he had a better matchup in mind for the event's headliner and recalled one of the promotion's classic rivalries.
During a recent episode of ESPN's DC & RC Show, 'DC' reminded his co-host that the Irishman has been exchanging jibes with Nate Diaz about a potential trilogy fight on social media over the past few days. He opined that a third McGregor vs. Diaz fight would outsell a McGregor vs. Chandler bout and said:
"What I will say about UFC 300 is it’s missing a big fight... If McGregor fights Diaz, that is what I believe draws the general fan in as much as anything that they could do in the UFC right now... The way the first fight played out, the way the second fight played out. It is still two of the highest-grossing pay-per-views in UFC history."
Catch Daniel Cormier's comments below (6:15):