Why The UFC Would Be Better If Conor McGregor Loses At UFC 194

Following months and months of anticipation, hype, and letdown, the day is finally here and featherweight champ Jose Aldo will finally battle interim champ Conor McGregor in the main event of tonight’s (Sat., December 12, 2015) UFC 194 pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Aldo is the longtime champ, the only one the UFC has ever known, yet most are somehow picking the favored McGregor to hand him his first UFC defeat and emerge from UFC 194 as the one and only champion.

It certainly appears to be in the UFC’s favor if he does, as the promotion recently lost the massive hype of Ronda Rousey and Paige VanZant, who both suffered brutally one-sided defeats in the last month. McGregor appears to be the promotion’s next major star, and it looks as if there’s nothing that can stand in the way of that.

But he hasn’t won just yet.

Many have seemed to look right past Aldo’s absolutely peerless accomplishments at 145 pounds, where he’s gone undefeated in the octagon after coming over as the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) featherweight champ. “Junior” appears insulted by McGregor’s unique trash talk, and he could come to the octagon more motivated than he has before and hand the Irish loudmouth his first UFC loss.

And while that might seem like a disaster waiting to happen for the UFC, it may actually be in the UFC’s best interest if “The Notorious” does lose to Aldo at UFC 194.

It might sound crazy, but here are three big reasons why.

3.) The rematch would be huge:

While a McGregor win would no doubt be huge for the UFC’s drawing power in the near future, there might not be a bigger featherweight fight to make than a rematch between Aldo and McGregor.

If he were to lose controversially or by a tight margin, then there’s no doubt that an immediate rematch would make more sense than Aldo rematching Edgar for the belt. McGregor most likely won’t lose all that much popularity if he were to lose, and a rematch would still be the biggest seller the UFC would have for the division.

If he wins, a bout with Edgar will be big, but in truth there isn’t much left at 145 pounds outside of a rematch with Aldo.

And besides, Aldo could definitely talk some trash at McGregor if he does win. He’s already showed signs of that in their backstage confrontation at the UFC 194 weigh-ins, and he even mocked ‘The Notorious’ during their staredown. It’s a side of Aldo we’ve never seen before, and in truth it’s something we needed to experience from the previously bland champion.

McGregor has also routinely teased moving up to lightweight in the recent months, and while that might be even more exciting than his time at featherweight, it’d also be kind of strange to beat the top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world and not defend your belt. Aldo would probably deserve an immediate rematch no matter how he lost, and judging by what McGregor has done for the featherweight division in such a short amount of time, he probably would too.

The rematch may be bigger than their first match-up tonight, and the UFC would be better off enjoying a rivalry like this twice. That’s only how McGregor losing would affect the promotion financially, however, so read on to find out how it could affect ‘Notorious’ personally and how it could actually be good for him.

2.) It might motivate McGregor even further:

On a streak outdone only by Aldo’s legendary run as champion, McGregor has no doubt risen to the enviable position as one of the world’s finest fighters at any weight.

His confidence and quotes suggest that he’s already believes he’s the best, and that could help or hinder him at UFC 194. He could use that confidence as he has in all of his UFC bouts to rise above his top-ranked competition and claim the throne of the featherweight world, or he could quickly find out just how good Aldo is in a humbling defeat. If the latter were to transpire, McGregor’s fire to become the best in the world might only be fueled further.

He’s only 26, and he most likely has a lot more time left in the sport than Aldo does. If he were to lose to the only champ the UFC featherweight arena has ever known, there wouldn’t be much shame, and McGregor could become a much more sharp and enhanced version of himself.

If he won, he would be the best 145-pounder in the world, but the fact that he beat Aldo would leave him with few challenges left and the belief that they have no chance against him. That may be true, but as we know, that never lasts in the fight game.

That’s why a loss to Aldo might actually be better for McGregor and ultimately the UFC.

1.) Conor’s day will come:

Overall, it’s simply become somewhat of a foregone conclusion that McGregor will have his day as UFC featherweight champion if he stys at 145. He’s already the interim champion, and even if he doesn’t beat Aldo at UFC 194 tonight, he’ll still be at the top of the division and in line for a big fight against another top opponent.

As mentioned before, a loss could serve to humble McGregor and serve to make him a better fighter than he is now, which is a scary prospect for the division to be sure. He could also be the best already, but his time as king will arrive one day whether it’s today or years from now. It’s true that the UFC needs a huge PPV star after Anderson Silva has been gone, GSP has been semi-retired, and Ronda Rousey was knocked out, and they’re going to continue to get a wildly successful one in McGregor.

But it’s just not the worst thing in the world for the UFC if he loses to Aldo. In fact, it’s better because it keeps the division interesting. Aldo suddenly gets a ton of attention where he previously got none as arguably the most dominant fighter in the sport, and that will only make the division more and more popular. The rematch will be followed the world over. The rivalry with Aldo would just be so much more emotionally packed in the media as opposed to a feud with the talented but vanilla Edgar.

Bad blood like Aldo vs. McGregor doesn’t come along too often, and the UFC would benefit from a double dip if McGregor were to lose in Las Vegas. If he knocks Aldo out, it might not be as believable even if it happens nonetheless.

Either way, ‘Notorious’ will be king, but his bosses might make more cash if he doesn’t become the champ tonight