Dana White: Unlike Other Top Stars, Conor McGregor Took UFC Global
White: McGregor Took UFC Global
UFC president Dana White believes Conor McGregor was the first fighter to truly take the promotion global.
The UFC has had its fair share of mainstream stars over the years from Chuck Liddell, Brock Lesnar, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre and Ronda Rousey to name a few. Because of their drawing power, they earned more money than most, especially when it came to pay-per-view money.
However, none of them compare to McGregor, who according to White was the only fighter to take the UFC global and open it up to a number of new territories.
“The way that it works in the UFC, these guys that become these big stars become partners,” White said in a recent podcast appearance with Eddie Hearn and Tony Bellew (via The Mac Life). “They become partners in the pay-per-view and selling the pay-per-view, and that’s how we all make money. … From the Chuck Liddell’s to the Anderson Silva’s to the Georges St-Pierre’s to the Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey. They all brought something different to the table.
“Whether it was Georges St-Pierre building the Canadian market for us. Whether it was Anderson Silva in Brazil. Ronda Rousey bringing in women that would never watch the UFC in a million years. The difference between all of them and Conor McGregor, is Conor McGregor took us global. Everybody on Earth loved Conor McGregor and Conor McGregor opened up territories that had never been that interested in us before. Maybe we had a small fanbase there, but he blew the whole country up. He’s the first guy that truly was a global star.”
McGregor is certainly one of the most polarizing figures in the sport.
However, there can be no denying that he is undoubtedly the biggest draw and superstar in the history of the sport, and is a major reason for the UFC’s popularity today. It will take some time before we see his numbers eclipsed by another fighter.
What do you think of White’s comments?
