The charismatic and eternally self-assured Irishman was arguably the biggest crossover star in any sport throughout the previous decade. The culmination of his popularity sent him on a collision course with Floyd Mayweather Jr, which became one of the most bought PPV events ever.
McGregor has had many high points in his career, and as he reaches the end of such an extraordinary journey, many have pondered whether he has enough left in the tank to make one last serious run at the big names in the division. Rumors that he is looking to campaign at welterweight pose a few serious questions about whether he has enough left in the tank to reach the zenith of cage fighting at a third weight class.
Dana White took a big gamble on McGregor, and it paid off. He has generated billions of dollars for the UFC and brought a new generation of fans to the sport. Dana White has been known to gamble on other things other than big business moves, too, and is no stranger to some of the high-roller tables in Las Vegas.
His ability to combine innovative business strategies with cutting-edge entertainment is a combination we have witnessed in other industries. One of the most significant examples is Ignition video poker, which has created an entertaining and highly engaging product while simultaneously moving with the times.
Their approach to casino gaming has a lot of similarities to the incredibly creative approach exhibited by Dana in the UFC. Instead of putting on expensive PPV one-off events like in boxing, they will have three or four world-class bouts on the same night. This means that people have an incredible range of quality entertainment. Likewise, video poker companies continue to develop immersively engaging new titles daily, giving you a similar scope of choice and quality.
Current Media Stories About McGregor
As with any big-name fighter with a tenacious personality, ferocious ability, and thirst to entertain, McGregor often receives some negative publicity. Unfortunately, a lot of the time, it has been as a result of his partying.
Most recently, he was pictured in Las Vegas following the boxing megafight between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, having a big night and a few spins at the roulette table. Gambling can be a great way to unwind. However, it looked like Conor was having quite a lot of fun in Vegas, and the question is whether this is ideal preparation for a comeback at a weight class that contains so many hungry and dangerous men.
In 2021, McGregor was named the highest-paid athlete in the world by Forbes Magazine. Many analysts believe that his success outside of the Octagon and the fact he has had so much success inside of it, which has led to financial security for life, are two of the main reasons he will fall short at the top again.
It’s a fair question if he’s making millions of dollars a month from other endorsements, will he have that eye of the tiger left in him to take on younger, fresher champions hungry for success?
The Legacy Of McGregor
McGregor’s impact on the UFC during his career is unquestionable. Although he has lost many career-defining fights, he brought a pre-fight entertainment and buildup that few have in combat sports history.
This is perfectly illustrated when you glance at the top 10 selling UFC PPVs of all time, 8 of the 10 are McGregor fights. His star quality is magnificent, and early on in his career, he had the performances to show precisely why he demanded big money.
As the only UFC fighter to hold the belt at two different weight classes simultaneously, and with such an impressive PPV record, it’s fair to say we’ll not see a marquee name with such an enormous crossover appeal in the sport again for quite some time.
He exploded onto the world scene when he decimated Jose Aldo and knocked the Brazilian spark out within 15 seconds of their featherweight Championship bout in 2015. Just over twelve months later, he claimed the UFC lightweight title with a resounding win over Eddie Alvarez and forever cemented his name into the UFC history books. These fighters are widely considered among the greatest pound-for-pound fighters ever to grace the UFC.
McGregor Vs. Chandler
Although there’s no date set in stone, many media outlets have reported that McGregor’s next outing will be against Mike Chandler. Ideally, McGregor should win this fight even if he isn’t at 100%, but it will be a solid indicator of where he’s up to in his career.
Once this bout has unfolded, we can better gauge how much Conor has left in the tank. With a career full of brutal wins and losses, broken bones, and multiple reports of heavy alcohol-induced dramas, it does pose the natural question of how much time he has left at the top.
The Bottom Line
Stranger things have happened, though, and if you look at some of the records in combat sports, there’s no reason why Conor can’t make one last crack at the big time. Bernard Hopkins boxed well into his mid-40s, and after he lost his middleweight title, he moved up two weight divisions and became the undisputed world light heavyweight boxing champion at the age of 45.
We can say that McGregor’s next few fights will still bring in big PPV numbers – he is a global star, and whatever you think of him, you can’t deny that he has an unmatched aura and presence.
Compared with other modern-day combat athletes, only a select few can challenge his claim as the face of combat sports. So even though his Marquis status has taken a sizeable hit over the last few years, if he managed to make it back to the top, it would put him in the conversation as one of the true greats.