If you do not know who Conor McGregor is, you must be living under a rock. Conor McGregor is one of the top 10 most Googled athletes in the world. He holds the record for PPV buys in the UFC multiple times over. Conor Mcgregor has created the modern era of the UFC: trash talk makes money. McGregor has created Proper No. 12 Whiskey, which has been selling at rates that make it difficult to find in the USA. McGregor is money. McGregor is a superstar.
I am not here to discuss McGregor's success, however. Conor McGregor seems to be a shell of himself. The Brittany Spears of the UFC if you will. He has been wildly successful, but now it seems the fame is taking over. Much like Spears had episodes where the media felt she lost her marbles, McGregor now seems to be experiencing his dip in sanity. McGregor has been arrested three times in a calendar year: throwing a dolly at a bus, smashing a fans phone, and now sexual assault allegations.
So how did Conor get in this position? Is he just poorly managing his fame? Is he actively pursuing MORE of what made him a superstar? Or has he never been what UFC fans at one time believed he was? I like to think there is a combination of these things. Conor was catapulted into extreme superstardom when he fought Floyd Mayweather. He lost a grip on reality because he made $100 million to essentially talk as much trash as possible in order to sell a fight that never should have happened. It's obvious Conor is chasing that in the UFC also. His brand of trash talk was seemingly darker leading up to his fight with current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Conor seemed to be chasing a paycheck that was out of grasp. On top of that, Conor seems to be living more lavishly than he was even after becoming rich in the UFC. Less training, more drinking. (I do want to to say that I will not knock Conor as a father and family man, I am just talking about the big negatives around him). Lastly with this rant, I believe Conor wanted his career to be short. I will touch on that more in a bit. For now, just listen to the whacky, insincere press conference delivered by McGregor heading into his last bout.
So let's look at McGregor's last UFC appearance. He kept checkig the big screen before the fight, not focused on Nurmagomedov. He looked flat footed and lazy. He got smashed outside of a decent third round. McGregor looked almost like he was forced to be there. This is a terrible look for any fighter, let alone the most popular one in the world. Call it ring rust, call it nerves; it does not matter. Conor McGregor was not the Notorious One that knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds, nor was he the "Champ Champ" who starched Eddie Alvarez in two rounds. This is not a good look for the future of the most influential man in UFC history.
So what should be next for McGregor? He went on Twitter to announce his retirement, but let's be honest: McGregor is an internet troll. He did the same thing in a tweet in 2016 before rematching Nate Diaz. We know Conor just gave a rant on his St. Patrick's Day tour of the United States discussing potential opponents. Also, he claimed on Jimmy Falon's Tonight Show that he was looking for a July return to the Octagon. CNBC gives a good breakdown/timeline of his current and previous "retirement." Moving on: the opportunities are there for the return, and every UFC wants McGregor back in the octagon for one of two reasons: they are fans of his and want him to succeed, or they hate him and want him to prove himself/get smashed again. Simply McGregor's next move should be a fight.
Personal predictions/opinions on who McGregor's next opponent should be: Donald Cerrone, Nate Diaz, Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, or Tony Ferguson. I made this list based on fights that make sense as far as rankings, and that will not hold up the lightweight division. I would love to see him fight Max Holloway or Dustin Poirier, but their match at UFC 236 will line one of them up for Khabib in a title fight. Cerrone makes the most sense; they have been teasing fans with trash talk since November. A trilogy with Nate Diaz has been promised since 2016, so the UFC might want to deliver on that as soon as possible. Anthony Pettis just starched Stephen Thompson, proving he can strike with the best (he would no doubt take a pay raise to challenge McGregor at either lightweight or welterweight). Justin Gaethje is never in a boring fight, and McGregor sells: therefore, the UFC should see the dollar signs in the distance. Lastly, Tony Ferguson has called McGregor out numerous times, so even though he will probably fight the loser of Holloway vs Poirier, a fight with McGregor has a selling point.
So there is my unprofessional, one-sentence reason for Conor to fight five different people. There are more options than that, and more reasons for these five fights. Point is: McGregor has options even if he does not fight for a title. It is my belief that McGregor made his retirement tweet to leverage the UFC into negotiations that more preferable to himself. I wan to basically conclude this without saying what the entire MMA community is saying (basically hating on Conor or begging him to stay). I believe Conor McGregor has some searching to do personally. The legal troubles are a terrible look, and retiring now will tarnish his legacy. The way McGregor is carrying himself right now will turn away potential fans because of how bad his attitude and actions look for the sport. I believe Conor fights again because he has to; at the end of the day, fighting is all he knows (even if he disguises it with his success).
Image 1: SportsJoe
Image 2: Low Kick MMA
Video: YouTube
Hyperlink: Reed, Adam, Ex- FC Champion Conor McGregor announces his retirement- again
Comments