UFC Has Yet to Replace Conor and Ronda's Star Power

Bubba32

Brown Belt
@Brown
Joined
Dec 5, 2017
Messages
3,856
Reaction score
2,998
UFC hasnt been able to reproduce conors and rondas star power even with now unlocking espn's power up.

will they ever be able to? Conor and Ronda were icons. I think those kind of stars will come every few decades whereas stars like Anderson, chuck, tito, gsp can be replaced.
 
UFC hasnt been able to reproduce conors and rondas star power even with now unlocking espn's power up.

will they ever be able to? Conor and Ronda were icons. I think those kind of stars will come every few decades whereas stars like Anderson, chuck, tito, gsp can be replaced.
Conor is like the Hulk Hogan of UFC. There have been great superstars that came after him like The Rock (Bigger than Hulk Hogan as a movie star), Stone Cold or John Cena but none of them have surpassed Hogan in popularity as a wrestler. This isn't because they are less charismatic but more likely because as times change so does the place WWE has in popular culture.
 
Last edited:
I'll post what I posted in another thread.

50 years or more, Conor got the Mayweather rub and then went on to sell 2.4mil buys against the future GOAT LW who many people felt was a terrible matchup for him, not only was this Khabib guy the future LW GOAT but he was also undefeated and had support from large parts of the eastern world.

Mayweather, the biggest PPV wizard of all time
Mcgregor, the biggest star in MMA history by a MILE
Khabib, just the greatest LW of all time with an undefeated record and at the peak of his powers, top 20 fighter ever.
Jose Aldo, GOAT FW and living legend brought down in 13 seconds, flipping the entire MMA world upside down.
Nate Diaz, the ultimate anti-establishment star for the hardcores who started his career during the height of TUF. Basically the ultimate nemesis for Mcgregor.
Then you have other guys like De la hoya who helped Mayweather become the star he was, with a top 5 PPV in the history of combat sports.

These guys were all a huge part of the Mcgregor story and success, you won't get this mix of talent, revenue, and star power for atleast the next 50 years, maybe ever.

That's not even mentioning how great Aldo was and how defeating him helped catapult Conor to the moon, so you'll likely need another GOAT contender somewhere in the story. Literally the most insane title victory ever, which sent Conor from a guy who could do 1mil against mendes to a guy who's done 1.5mil+ routinely.

This new person would not only have to be a huge PPV attraction himself, he'll need multiple top 5-20 all time great fighters to overcome, plus a cult favorite like Nate Diaz in there. Then he'll need to remain undefeated for a long portion of his career and hope for some kind of crossover madness with another GOAT tier PPV star, because you aren't approaching 2mil buys without some kind of luck, you'd need someone like Mayweather who's had bigger fights than you to join the fray. So Conor or Canelo would have to come out of retirement to fight this guy.

Even guys like Izzy who had a name before MMA, is super flashy, has great charisma, came into MMA blazing hot, with an undefeated record all the way to the title, even he isn't anywhere near this equation. We witnessed a weird time in history, I don't think this is happening again. In fact I'd go as far as it never happening in the lifetime of anyone on this forum, because if legends like Jones and DC can't even approach the numbers needed, it doesn't seem possible.

Maybe if the UFC goes back to open weight competition so more stars can enter the fray, some avengers shit. Because Khabib, Conor, Mayweather, Aldo, Diaz, these guys aren't all going to be replaced all at the same time, realistically they may never be replaced with an equivalent. I mean what are the chances of a cult star like Diaz? A tuf OG who fought alongside his well known BROTHER IN THE SAME ORGANIZATION! A guy who had already fought for a world title and built his name up, a guy who was an absolute bad ass. That's not even mentioning the other 4 who are either GOAT tiers fighters or GOAT tier stars, or both. Then you have to factor the calcification of wealth world wide, and how that will effect PPV buy rates into the future, in consort with modern piracy and technology.

The story and recipe had to be so perfect for MMA to reach that 2.4mil mark, then you have to include that none of these guys suffered major injuries during these moments, then you have to factor guys like RDA who got injured and never got to stop the absolute avalanche of hype that was Conor Mcgregor at the time. If that cocky undisciplined version of Conor got smashed by RDA, he would've never gotten the Mayweather fight, everything had to go perfect.

Then even if you find someone who has immense star power they not only have to be a great fighter and get lucky with matchups and injuries, they also have to speak fluent english to even sniff the 1mil+ buy range, let alone 2mil+ so that shrinks things even further. Not to mention this fighter would likely need to be in the FW-WW weight classes to challenge a retired superstar like Conor, Canelo, Floyd, etc.

Naw this isn't happening again, the Mayweather rub was real, even Conor at his peak couldn't do anything close to 2mil until Mayweather joined in. Enjoy the big moments we have now, because we are long overdue for another dark age. Coming to any other conclusion honestly sounds like wishful thinking, look at stars like Tyson who fought in the 80's! It's almost 40 years later and he's still that guy, 3 of the top 10 PPV events EVER!

So we're going to get a star massively bigger than Tyson or Conor? Not plausible especially with millennials having no money to spend on these fights.

Conor did 1.3mil against Eddie
Conor just did 1.6 against Dustin

Superstars like Izzy can't even sniff these numbers, let alone the 2.4-2.5 record at UFC 229.

Even Ronda won't be replaced in WMMA, she came up when the product was fresh and new in the UFC. Now fans are pretty fed up with how WMMA has been handled in the UFC, and the combination of talents, looks, and marketing needed to build a WMMA star isn't easy. You can be a KO queen like Amanda and still not become a big star, you need to speak english, have good looks, and have a style pleasing to the eye.

I remember actually watching Rousey vs Tate on Tuf, now days you'd have to pay me to watch Tuf. All of that stuff happened at a specific period in time. Now the best WMMA talent is coming from overseas. where their english isn't the best. So you can be an absolute artistic killer like Valentina and not approach Rousey numbers.

And who is going to surpass Anderson? Anderson did 1million buys against Chris weidman lol, Conor and his rise in MMA popularity has distorted what's achievable for 99.9% of MMA. We got really lucky.
 
Last edited:
UFC hasnt been able to reproduce conors and rondas star power even with now unlocking espn's power up.

will they ever be able to? Conor and Ronda were icons. I think those kind of stars will come every few decades whereas stars like Anderson, chuck, tito, gsp can be replaced.
Ok. Those two had star power that isn't really duplicatable by the UFC. There's no real formula to it. They just were on the right wave at the right time.

They both came in the same decade. Besides, there's only so many times you can fool the public with the exact same trick.
 
Conor is like the Hulk Hogan of UFC. There have been great superstars that came after him like The Rock (Bigger than Hulk Hogan as a movie star), Stone Cold or John Cena but none of them have surpassed Hogan in popularity as a wrestler. This isn't because they are less charismatic but more likely because as times change so does the place WWE has in popular culture.
Austin was more popular.
 
I'll post what I posted in another thread.

50 years or more, Conor got the Mayweather rub and then went on to sell 2.4mil buys against the future GOAT LW who many people felt was a terrible matchup for him, not only was this Khabib guy the future LW GOAT but he was also undefeated and had support from large parts of the eastern world.

Mayweather, the biggest PPV wizard of all time
Mcgregor, the biggest star in MMA history by a MILE
Khabib, just the greatest LW of all time with an undefeated record and at the peak of his powers, top 20 fighter ever.
Jose Aldo, GOAT FW and living legend brought down in 13 seconds, flipping the entire MMA world upside down.
Nate Diaz, the ultimate anti-establishment star for the hardcores who started his career during the height of TUF. Basically the ultimate nemesis for Mcgregor.
Then you have other guys like De la hoya who helped Mayweather become the star he was, with a top 5 PPV in the history of combat sports.

These guys were all a huge part of the Mcgregor story and success, you won't get this mix of talent, revenue, and star power for atleast the next 50 years, maybe ever.

That's not even mentioning how great Aldo was and how defeating him helped catapult Conor to the moon, so you'll likely need another GOAT contender somewhere in the story.

This new person would not only have to be a huge PPV attraction himself, he'll need multiple top 5-20 all time great fighters to overcome, plus a cult favorite like Nate Diaz in there. Then he'll need to remain undefeated for a long portion of his career and hope for some kind of crossover madness with another GOAT tier PPV star, because you aren't approaching 2mil buys without some kind of luck, you'd need someone like Mayweather who's had bigger fights than you to join the fray. So Conor or Canelo would have to come out of retirement to fight this guy.

Even guys like Izzy who had a name before MMA, is super flashy, has great charisma, came into MMA blazing hot, with an undefeated record all the way to the title, even he isn't anywhere near this equation. We witnessed a weird time in history, I don't think this is happening again. In fact I'd go as far as it never happening in the lifetime of anyone on this forum, because if legends like Jones and DC can't even approach the numbers needed, it doesn't seem possible.

Maybe if the UFC goes back to open weight competition so more stars can enter the fray, some avengers shit. Because Khabib, Conor, Mayweather, Aldo, Diaz, these guys aren't all going to be replaced all at the same time, realistically they may never be replaced with an equivalent. I mean what are the chances of a cult star like Diaz? A tuf OG who fought alongside his well known BROTHER IN THE SAME ORGANIZATION! A guy who had already fought for a world title and built his name up, a guy who was an absolute bad ass. That's not even mentioning the other 4 who are either GOAT tiers fighters or GOAT tier stars, or both. Then you have to factor the calcification of wealth world wide, and how that will effect PPV buy rates into the future, in consort with modern piracy and technology.

The story and recipe had to be so perfect for MMA to reach that 2.4mil mark, then you have to include that none of these guys suffered major injuries during these moments, then you have to factor guys like RDA who got injured and never got to stop the absolute avalanche of hype that was Conor Mcgregor at the time. If that cocky undisciplined version of Conor got smashed by RDA, he would've never gotten the Mayweather fight, everything had to go perfect.

Then even if you find someone who has immense star power they not only have to be a great fighter and get lucky with matchups and injuries, they also have to speak fluent english to even sniff the 1mil+ buy range, let alone 2mil+ so that shrinks things even further.

Naw this isn't happening again, the Mayweather rub was real, even Conor at his peak couldn't do anything close to 2mil until Mayweather joined in. Enjoy the big moments we have now, because we are long overdue for another dark age. Coming to any other conclusion honestly sounds like wishful thinking, look at stars like Tyson who fought in the 80's! It's almost 40 years later and he's still that guy, 3 of the top 10 PPV events EVER!

So we're going to get a star massively bigger than Tyson or Conor? Not plausible especially with millennials having no money to spend on these fights.

Conor did 1.3mil against Eddie
Conor just did 1.6 against Dustin

Superstars like Izzy can't even sniff these numbers, let alone the 2.4-2.5 record at UFC 229.

Even Ronda won't be replaced in WMMA, she came up when the product was fresh and new in the UFC. Now fans are pretty fed up with how WMMA has been handled in the UFC, and the combination of talents, looks, marketing needed to build a WMMA star isn't easy. You can be a KO king like Amanda and still not become a big star, you need to speak english, have good looks, and have a style pleasing to the eye.

I remember actually watching Rousey vs Tate on Tuf, now days you'd have to pay me to watch Tuf. All of that stuff happened at a specific period in time. Now the best WMMA talent is coming from overseas. where their english isn't the best. So you can be an absolute artistic killer like Valentina and not approach Rousey numbers.

And who is going to surpass Anderson? Anderson did 1million buys against Chris weidman lol, Conor and his rise in MMA popularity has distorted what's achievable for 99% of MMA. We got really lucky.
Conor is a fucking bum, you dickride him hard. He's the Logan/Jake Paul of MMA, that's all.
 
It's possible. I would have never thought that Conor could be a bigger star than someone like Brock Lesnar.
 
Conor is a fucking bum, you dickride him hard. He's the Logan/Jake Paul of MMA, that's all.
I'm not even a Conor fan? I'm just a fair observer of reality.

I predicted Dustin would win the 2nd fight and will KO Conor quite easily in the third match. Did you read the post or just make up some shit, how am I dick riding him?

Either someone says I'm dick riding him or I'm not giving Conor enough credit, it makes no sense. He's the biggest star in MMA history without equal, it's just facts brother.
 
Conor is like the Hulk Hogan of UFC. There have been great superstars that came after him like The Rock (Bigger than Hulk Hogan as a movie star), Stone Cold or John Cena but none of them have surpassed Hogan in popularity as a wrestler. This isn't because they are less charismatic but more likely because as times change so does the place WWE has in popular culture.
The world population has grown by like 40 percent since Hulkster was in his prime. You sure he’s not the most popular WWE guy ever?
 
Conor is like the Hulk Hogan of UFC. There have been great superstars that came after him like The Rock (Bigger than Hulk Hogan as a movie star), Stone Cold or John Cena but none of them have surpassed Hogan in popularity as a wrestler. This isn't because they are less charismatic but more likely because as times change so does the place WWE has in popular culture.

within wrestling stone cold was more over than hulk for his short time on top.
Hulk was more over than cena or the rock though.
 
within wrestling stone cold was more over than hulk.
Hulk was more over than cena or the rock though.
Bare in mind, what I'm about to say is subjective. Stone Cold sold more merchandise and ppvs but I think Hulk Hogan is really the guy to introduce professional wrestling to the mainstream audience.
 
Ronda was never that popular really. It was more a female symbol than anyone really liking her. If they supported R. Honda, they were supporting women basically. If she had been that popular on her own, she wouldn't have sunk to sub D-level stuff so quickly.
 
What makes you think they want to?

Bigger stars mean less leverage. They may bring in lots of money in the short term, but their often mercurial moods could also translate into drought periods for the organization. When Conor was champ, they had to bend over backwards to accommodate his prima donna attitude. Superstars with the clout to carry the company, have the leverage hold the company hostage accordingly. Its not just the UFC. We have seen the same thing with Stone Cold Steve Austin in WWE.

After signing with WME, the ESPN deal showed UFC management's preference to go for consistent and sustainable earnings. All the better to please the WME stockholders. They are aggressively marketing the brand, rather than individual fighters. Now, fighters can come and go and the UFC will plug along, no skin off their knees. If Conor wants to fight? Great. Everyone gets a larger bonus. If he doesn't want to, sure no prob someone else will be willing to step in for a fraction of Conor's asking price.

The House always wins.
 
I disagree that Anderson, Chuck, GSP etc are replaceable. Those guys had really memorable fighting styles and personalities. Andy going into matrix mode, Chuck landing his big bomb and then doing his signature X celebration around the cage. Those are really iconic moments that every fan at the time will always remember. Today’s fighters are boring inside and outside of the cage and nobody is going to remember any of these guys.
 
Bare in mind, what I'm about to say is subjective. Stone Cold sold more merchandise and ppvs but I think Hulk Hogan is really the guy to introduce professional wrestling to the mainstream audience.

Stone cold merchandise was in every Walmart or theme park or carnival.

For many years you could only get wwf stuff from a magazine you had to buy.
 
Back
Top