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Is UFC to blame for what happened at UFC 229 for using the McGregor dolly incident to promote the fight?
Cole Henry, MMATorch contributor
I’ll answer this question with a question. Wouldn’t it have been weird if they didn’t use the dolly incident to promote the fight? It would have been the elephant in the room…The UFC would have been attempting to promote this “grudge match” without mentioning one of the key aspects of what led to the grudge. So, no I don’t think the UFC is to blame for what happened. The emotions would have been running high regardless of the UFCs effort to promote one specific incident.
Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor
To a degree, yes. The UFC courts out of control behavior when it uses out of control behavior to promote its events. They can be secretly happy for this kind of stuff, but you can’t use it to promote an event. They lose credibility as an authority figure when they do this. When you say something is horrible and wrong, but then turn around and use it as a tool to promote yourself, you lose credibility. They can’t have it both ways.
However, I said to a degree because the blame also goes to Khabib Nurmagomedov. He’s a grown adult. He’s the one who did it, so it’s his fault. Multiple people can be completely wrong on the same issue, and that’s the case here. Nurmagomedov is completely wrong for what he did, and the UFC is completely wrong for what they did.
David McGrath, MMATorch contributor
I don’t believe the UFC is responsible one bit, Conor McGregor insulted Khabib Nurmagomedov’s religion, family, and honor. Emotions were high in this fight, it’s the business. I don’t feel the UFC is responsible one bit.
Sean Covington, MMATorch contributor
They absolutely are to blame and we all should have seen this coming. It shouldn’t be a surprise that two guys that fight for money are involved in post fight shenanigans. UFC doesn’t promote their fights adequately. They barely spoke about DJ when he was champ because he’s boring to them. Stipe got zero promotion and he is one of the greatest heavyweights ever. The UFC just wants drama. They’re interested in everything except the actual talent of the fighters. Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor got more publicity than all of the UFC champions of that year put together.
Cody Garbrandt and TJ Dilishaw had drama beyond the octagon and the UFC hyped it up every chance they got. If you’re respectful and don’t make a fuss they won’t acknowledge you but if you get arrested they are interviewing you left and right and putting you in commercials. Conor was rewarded with this fight when he threw a dolly through a bus window; YEAH, it’s all UFC’s fault!
Michael Hiscoe, MMATorch managing editor
I have a hard time placing much blame for this at UFC’s feet. The fight was promoted the way it was because the promotion knew it would be effective in selling the fight. It’s been proven time after time that simply promoting best vs. best isn’t enough to sell a big fight. You can look up and down the list of UFC’s top selling shows and you will see big personalities fast-tracked to title fights and grudge matches.
Once UFC made the decision to make this fight, they had no choice but to use the dolly incident to promote it. Simply put, the fans demanded it.
Furthermore, as I wrote in yesterday’s roundtable, I blame Khabib Nurmagomedov for what happened. I believe his intent to jump the cage and go after Dillon Danis was pre-meditated. If it wasn’t pre-meditated before the fight, Khabib made that decision as the fight was going on. As soon as that fight ended, he knew what he was going to do and who he was going to go after.
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