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Dana White Vows To Change The Way He Promotes Conor McGregor
UFC CEO Dana White isn't giving up on Conor McGregor, but he is going to change the way he promotes him after his removal from UFC 303.
www.forbes.com
An injury forced Conor McGregor out of his main event fight with Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29.
Beyond the obvious impact on the card, International Fight Week, and the event's appeal, McGregor's removal will affect how UFC CEO Dana White promotes his top star moving forward.
White spoke with Sports Business Journal this week about McGregor and a few other topics, and he shared his approach to promoting the MMA icon in the future.
White was asked if he was disappointed by McGregor's being forced out of UFC 303, and he said, "It's the business, man. This is the way it goes. And from here on, I'm not going to talk about it until when he's healed and he's right. Then we'll look at the landscape and see what we can figure out."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/people/jasonrich/
This could mean McGregor will be dropped onto a card with relatively late public notice. However, he and his opponent will be notified to allow for training and preparation.
White and the UFC will likely want McGregor, his opponent, and the camp to agree not to discuss the upcoming fight before a specific date so that they can do their best to protect against leaks.
I'm not sure how well that will work, but because of McGregor's volatile availability, it is an understandable adjustment to the promotion of his events.
McGregor hasn't fought since July 2021, when he suffered a broken ankle in his third fight with Dustin Poirier.
Between that time, there have been tons of rumors and posturing related to potential fights with Chandler and others, but the UFC 303 main event was the only one that wound up getting an official date.
By restructuring several events, the UFC rebounded well from McGregor's removal and other card changes. The changes now have Alex Pereira defending his light heavyweight title against Jiri Prochazka in a rematch as the main event of UFC 303. Diego Lopes will now face Brian Ortega in the co-main event as Jamahal Hill is out with knee injuries.
Hill was supposed to face Carlos Ulberg, but now Ulberg will fight veteran contender Anthony Smith. The UFC 303 main card still features the matchup between Michael Venom Page and Ian Machado Garry.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 18: Conor McGregor prepares for his welterweight bout against Donald ...
Adding a future McGregor fight to the top of a card could have two effects. The UFC could add a McGregor fight to a solid card that is seemingly lacking the sort of main event that encourages a wave of fans to purchase.
Any McGregor fight is almost sure to put that card over the top.
The UFC could also add a McGregor fight to an already stacked card, pushing things to the extreme.
Because of the hoops that must be jumped through to secure any McGregor fight, it would be understandable if the UFC approached his next bout as if it were his last.
You never know with McGregor, but when he's available, he still moves the needle like no one else in the sport.
With that approach, watch the upcoming event at the Las Vegas Sphere in September. That would seemingly give McGregor more than enough time to heal from his injury, and it would set the stage that aligns with the massive nature of a McGregor-topped card.
There are still some potential risks of using McGregor on any card, but like White once said when asked why he puts up with the star's antics, "he's worth it."
Beyond the obvious impact on the card, International Fight Week, and the event's appeal, McGregor's removal will affect how UFC CEO Dana White promotes his top star moving forward.
White spoke with Sports Business Journal this week about McGregor and a few other topics, and he shared his approach to promoting the MMA icon in the future.
Dana White's New Strategy for Promoting McGregor
White was asked if he was disappointed by McGregor's being forced out of UFC 303, and he said, "It's the business, man. This is the way it goes. And from here on, I'm not going to talk about it until when he's healed and he's right. Then we'll look at the landscape and see what we can figure out."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/people/jasonrich/
This could mean McGregor will be dropped onto a card with relatively late public notice. However, he and his opponent will be notified to allow for training and preparation.
White and the UFC will likely want McGregor, his opponent, and the camp to agree not to discuss the upcoming fight before a specific date so that they can do their best to protect against leaks.
I'm not sure how well that will work, but because of McGregor's volatile availability, it is an understandable adjustment to the promotion of his events.
McGregor hasn't fought since July 2021, when he suffered a broken ankle in his third fight with Dustin Poirier.
Between that time, there have been tons of rumors and posturing related to potential fights with Chandler and others, but the UFC 303 main event was the only one that wound up getting an official date.
By restructuring several events, the UFC rebounded well from McGregor's removal and other card changes. The changes now have Alex Pereira defending his light heavyweight title against Jiri Prochazka in a rematch as the main event of UFC 303. Diego Lopes will now face Brian Ortega in the co-main event as Jamahal Hill is out with knee injuries.
Hill was supposed to face Carlos Ulberg, but now Ulberg will fight veteran contender Anthony Smith. The UFC 303 main card still features the matchup between Michael Venom Page and Ian Machado Garry.
Impact on UFC's Marketing and Promotion
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 18: Conor McGregor prepares for his welterweight bout against Donald ...
Adding a future McGregor fight to the top of a card could have two effects. The UFC could add a McGregor fight to a solid card that is seemingly lacking the sort of main event that encourages a wave of fans to purchase.
Any McGregor fight is almost sure to put that card over the top.
The UFC could also add a McGregor fight to an already stacked card, pushing things to the extreme.
Because of the hoops that must be jumped through to secure any McGregor fight, it would be understandable if the UFC approached his next bout as if it were his last.
You never know with McGregor, but when he's available, he still moves the needle like no one else in the sport.
With that approach, watch the upcoming event at the Las Vegas Sphere in September. That would seemingly give McGregor more than enough time to heal from his injury, and it would set the stage that aligns with the massive nature of a McGregor-topped card.
There are still some potential risks of using McGregor on any card, but like White once said when asked why he puts up with the star's antics, "he's worth it."
Forbes suggesting Conor might get parachuted on to an event 'at late notice' lol
That is definitely not the ideal way to market such a huge star, but if he's unreliable due to potentially recurring injuries or whatever else (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, right Chael?) then this might be the only way.
Get ready for "A WILD CONOR TO APPEAR" all of a sudden for his next fight. Let's just hope that Wild Conor doesn't then flee!
What does this say about Conor McGregor's chances of fighting in the future? Anything?
