No one comes close to Conor McGregor in terms of popularity in the world of mixed martial arts. Over the years, the Irishman achieved everything the fight game offered. McGregor has done everything from becoming the first-ever simultaneous UFC double champion to selling the biggest pay-per-views.
Irrespective of his antics, Dana White and the promotion are heavily obliged to the global superstar. McGregor changed the game and made millions out of it. In order to replicate that stardom, many other fighters try to talk like him, dress like him, and act like him, but nobody can be like McGregor.
Talk the talk, walk the walk
Conor McGregor has been an elite trash-talker since the start of his career. His trash-talking and confident demeanor have won over many fans and helped promote his fights, often resulting in record-breaking PPV sales.
McGregor has given UFC their biggest-ever PPV gate with over 2.4 million sales. It was the result of the iconic clash between him and Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. Even though McGregor got thrashed in the fight, it was definitely the biggest rivalry in the history of UFC.
Conor McGregor fought in two of the biggest PPV events in MMA and Boxing (via Imago/The New Yorker/Forbes) On top of it, McGregor has also tried his luck in boxing, and he definitely won big. His boxing debut against the legendary Floyd Mayweather is the second biggest PPV event in the history of combat sports. The fight attracted a whopping 4.3 million buys and an overall business of around $600 million.
Recently, McGregor’s UFC return has been the talk of the town. The fighter will make his comeback at UFC 303 against Michael Chandler. The hype around the event is massive as fans saw the press conference in Dublin get sold out in only 9 minutes. It just says no one can draw like McGregor
“I want the red panty night” – The ‘Notorious’ callout
Fighting Conor McGregor makes fighters rich, irrespective of the result. It doesn’t matter if the fighter loses; he will get home with a hefty fight purse. This phenomenon is called the ‘red panty night.’ It is a famous catchphrase popularized by the ’Notorious’ himself.
Conor McGregor and Dana White (via Imago)
In search of the red panty night, many fighters have lost their patience and the list is never-ending. Nate Diaz, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson, Jorge Masvidal, etc, are some of the biggest names to call out McGregor.
Now with McGregor’s return from hiatus, the trend has now got a new momentum. Lately, every fighter wants to fight McGregor. That includes current champions such as Max Holloway, Leon Edwards, Islam Makhachev, Charles Oliveira, etc.
The McGregor paradox
After breaking his left tibia at UFC 264, it took McGregor three years of hiatus to get back into the competition. With many options in hand, the ’Mystic Mac’ chose to fight Michael Chandler. While the ‘Iron’ waited over a year for this opportunity, it’s not going great for the former Bellator champion.
Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are slated to fight at UFC 303 (via Sports Illustrated)With the recent cancellation of the UFC 303 Dublin press conference, fans have raised doubts about the fight. While Chandler might be on the brink of giving up, nobody knows the fate of the much-anticipated PPV event. Well, Chandler is definitely not the only one who fell into the McGregor trap. In the past, Dustin Poirier has done that too.
In 2021, Poirier threw away the opportunity to fight for the vacant lightweight title and pursue the trilogy fight with McGregor. While he did win the fight and took home the fat cheque, his dream to become the undisputed champion remained unachievable. The chapter got a permanent closer with his latest loss at UFC 302.
Is it worth it? Maybe, maybe not… Mostly not
The Conor McGregor that fans see now is not the same hungry and motivated fighter he once was. This notion is something even his biggest fan, Dana White has also accepted. The current McGregor doesn’t have to fight and will still make the headlines just by his tweets and occasional internet rants.
Conor McGregor (Source: IMAGO)In this scenario, calling out the fighter and waiting for him to accept the fight is nothing but a death wish. With more and more fighters realizing it, will this stop the frequent callouts? It’s impossible because, at the end of the day, everybody wants the red panty night.
!
