In light of his recent arrest, should UFC book Conor McGregor in a fight anytime soon?
Frank Hyden, Columnist – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
No, because he clearly doesn’t get it. Yeah, compared to some other things he’s done, this isn’t a big deal, but it’s still stupid. Maybe he’s one of those people who believes “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” but that’s just ridiculous. The only reason McGregor hasn’t been cut is that he’s the biggest draw the UFC has ever had.
I firmly believe that the more you bring to the table, the more you can get away with it. Obviously, the UFC believes in that as well. However, it reaches a point where you become more trouble than you’re worth. The last image people have of McGregor in MMA is getting dominated by UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Unless he can avenge that loss, he’s on that slippery slope to irrelevancy. The trash-talking gangster shtick only works if you’re winning. Then, your fans will pay money to see you prove the haters wrong and those who dislike you will pay in the hopes of seeing you lose. That goes away when you start losing.
McGregor became a bigger star when he avenged his loss to Nate Diaz because people love a comeback story. However, the odds of McGregor avenging his loss to Nurmagomedov are pretty slim. Now, maybe he doesn’t fight Nurmagomedov again anytime soon, he still has to win a couple of fights in a row, though. The more you lose, the less attention people will pay to your circus. Next thing you know, you’re Chael Sonnen or Colby Covington, yapping like a Pit Bull when everyone sees you as a Chihuahua.
McGregor is walking a knife’s edge here, and it’s either going to be a big success or a huge failure. The UFC will likely want to sell tickets to that spectacle no matter which way it goes, they definitely shouldn’t, though. Don’t reward a guy for acting like a jerk. At a certain point, the UFC has to start acting with integrity. At least publicly announce a large fine or something. If they don’t do that, this is going to keep happening again and again. Hell, it might keep happening even with a large fine, but you got to do something. The UFC has to take a stand, even if it hurts the bottom line.
David McGrath, MMATorch Contributor
In regards to McGregor, the UFC should book him immediately! What’s better than a little drama? Conor has made his career off of his dramatic out of the octagon persona. The UFC should book Conor McGregor immediately and capitalize on the drama surrounding his recent arrest. McGregor needs a win, and the UFC needs money and main event players and it’s not like the UFC cares about what you do outside the octagon, just look at Jon Jones. I doubt the UFC would take the moral high ground now of all times.
Michael Hiscoe, MMATorch Managing Editor
UFC should shoot an angle where it turns out the owner of the cell phone in question was actually Donald Cerrone. That’s making lemonade out of lemons.
But really, Conor McGregor is a threat to himself and needs to be kept on a short leash. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. In the big picture, McGregor’s offense this week was minor compared to what happened last year in Brooklyn, but what’s scary is we know that he’s capable of much more.
NEXT: CONOR MCGREGOR ARRESTED ON ROBBERY AND MISCHIEF CHARGES
Perhaps the best thing to do is to book him in a fight so that he has something to focus on rather than whatever it is he does with his time when he isn’t fighting.
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