Is there even demand for Conor in 2025???

it's a legit question at this point. that ship sailed so long ago i don't even know if it will pull any numbers at all. personally i'm as take-it-or-leave-it as it gets.
 
MRT said:
How is Oasis' tour going? Didn't they break up in 2009 and peak with casuals well before then? Are the 100k+ stadium shows just filled with hardcores? Coldplay apparently had the #2 tour in 2024, behind only Taylor Swift...but wouldn't their peak be something like 15 years ago? Chalk that up to hardcores again, I guess? Look at the other top tours of recent years and see how your theory of '10 years after their prime with casuals' holds up.

Movies...Deadpool vs. Wolverine was #2 last year...but that was six years after the last Deadpool film and wasn't Wolverine/X-Men's 'prime with casuals' a good 15 or so years ago too? Another fluke, I guess. Let's really get into the weeds...the 'Bad Boys' films of 2020 and 2024...quite the resurgence after the 1995 and 2003 films...and aren't Will Smith and Martin Lawrence well removed from their 'prime with casuals'? I think Conor was just a wee lad during Martin's hey day (his TV show is still one of the most underrated comedies of its time, IMHO).

I think your "blank sheet of paper" would fill up pretty fast if we keep going and look further at the film, music, and TV/streaming industries.

Yes, many people certainly do flame out or simply fall victim to changing tastes and/or their declining talent...but many endure or even make wild comebacks. There is no 'rule' and each should be looked at on an individual basis. Consider too that with something like music or film, you can sample the recent product with a single or a trailer, to decide if you want to buy the album, attend a concert, etc. Not many people chose to see a film or buy an album where they are confident they will not be entertained. There is also enough volume of quality alternatives to which consumers can shift their interest quickly.

The MMA and combat sports space is different...and Conor is different. There is not a high volume of 'big event' fighters like Conor, Brock, Ronda, etc. that have their level of appeal. He is also unique amongst MMA fighters...the Taylor Swift of MMA...in that he has been head and shoulders above the rest in terms of drawing power, earnings, notoriety, etc. Unlike declining music or film artists, there is also better reason to believe that many people WOULD tune in with the hopes of seeing him fail.

Don't kid yourself...the interest amongst the wider audience has not completely evaporated. It might be reduced, but Conor will still be a top (if not *the* top) draw for the UFC if he chooses to fight. As I've said before, the real question is not whether he will draw, it is whether he will actually make the walk again.
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I don't know most of the references you're making so thanks for bringing me up to speed on pop culture things with staying power

Guessing most of those cases weren't well-off their game though (the equivalent of Conor's inactivity + drug abuse + criminality) prior to making big moves recently.

Serious question as I don't know the answer... how did Tyson vs Paul do?
 
As a spectacle, perhaps. As a fight fan - no. He is way past it. He hasn't had a fight (or win) in years.
 
Dionysian said:
I don't know most of the references you're making so thanks for bringing me up to speed on pop culture things with staying power

Guessing most of those cases weren't well-off their game though (the equivalent of Conor's inactivity + drug abuse + criminality) prior to making big moves recently.

Serious question as I don't know the answer... how did Tyson vs Paul do?
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I don't think any of those cases are comparable to Conor. Conor is unique...and unique even just in MMA. This is part of my point though...that there is no 'rule' or precedent that suggests Conor will no longer draw...just as there is no rule for actors, musicians, etc. It really depends upon the individual case, the state of the industry at the time, etc. I don't think there has been a 'replacement' for Conor the way there is in other industries for the ultra casual (and especially for an event like the WH card).

The gate for Tyson vs. Paul was ~18 million...in Texas. It was reported to be the largest gate in history outside Vegas, roughly doubling the previous best. It did crazy streaming numbers for Netflix too.
 
there's still people that didn't get the memo that the UFC is getting rid of the PPV model?
 
It's possible Conor could still sell 1M PPVs if they choose to make this event a "special PPV".
 
2006 account ts

Answer to thread ;


It's Conor
 
100% people will tune in and he'll sell ppvs. that's what he's damn good at... but winning a fight? odds are against him against anyone really. he's gotta carefully pick his opponent. michael chandler would be unfortunate. mostly cus nobody cares. the casuals and us die hards. chandler is exciting but his best days are behind him... i hate to say it, but the best option for $$$ is nate diaz. similar to conor, nate is past his prime and his popularity is far higher than his skill level. for the casuals and for the $$$ a conor v nate match up is the way to go.
 
BowserJr said:
Not in retrospect
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That makes no sense, UFC 229 is the biggest UFC event ever, maybe even in MMA as a whole. Mayweather Jr vs Mcgregor is in the top 10 Boxing PPV & event. Even Mcgregor vs Poirier 3 is up there as one of the biggest events. As much I dislike Mcgregor cant deny he was still in demand and relevant in terms of people wanting to see him compete as recent as the Poirier 3 bout, when it comes to relevancy in the rankings and status as a fighter then sure he hasn’t been relevant since the Khabib bout, but saying he hasn’t been relevant since Obama was in office is flat out just being a hater, which this thread is about being in demand which you could still say he was in demand even as recent as the Chandler bout, which to me wasnt really anything to to jump for joy about.
 
Making a thread like this proves it would still sell.
 
He’s not relevant won’t win a title and is barely top ten material. But the man changed the game and pulls. Hard cores will be like “I don’t care” or “ he’s done”

But he will draw casuals and make the White House card draw huge number period
 
MRT said:
I don't think any of those cases are comparable to Conor. Conor is unique...and unique even just in MMA. This is part of my point though...that there is no 'rule' or precedent that suggests Conor will no longer draw...just as there is no rule for actors, musicians, etc. It really depends upon the individual case, the state of the industry at the time, etc. I don't think there has been a 'replacement' for Conor the way there is in other industries for the ultra casual (and especially for an event like the WH card).

The gate for Tyson vs. Paul was ~18 million...in Texas. It was reported to be the largest gate in history outside Vegas, roughly doubling the previous best. It did crazy streaming numbers for Netflix too.
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Ok that was the reason I asked. Tyson obviously with more casual interest/fame than Conor as a reference point. While obviously Conor won't touch those metrics it highlights the ceiling of what is possible in combat sports going off name/cultural status alone. I am legit curious how much Tyson would do if he fought a less famous person tomorrow. Now that the casual mentality of "who cares how long it has been, it is Tyson bro of course he'll KO him" has likely worn off.

That's the thing about your angle saying he is unique... if he is unique then we don't really know. We know his numbers up until 2021. But we also know he left on multiple losses, has visibly been addicted to drugs and criminality, and hasn't done anything in years. So if they paired him with a random fighter on a unremarkable random card tomorrow (not that they would, I'm just saying...) I really wonder how much star power he still has as of today. Back when he was an international star they did exactly that (vs Cerrone) and he did 900k. So that was his baseline at his peak fame levels. I would assume if they duplicated that exact card tomorrow it would not crack 500k. But that's just my guess.
 
Dionysian said:
Ok that was the reason I asked. Tyson obviously with more casual interest/fame than Conor as a reference point. While obviously Conor won't touch those metrics it highlights the ceiling of what is possible in combat sports going off name/cultural status alone. I am legit curious how much Tyson would do if he fought a less famous person tomorrow. Now that the casual mentality of "who cares how long it has been, it is Tyson bro of course he'll KO him" has likely worn off.

That's the thing about your angle saying he is unique... if he is unique then we don't really know. We know his numbers up until 2021. But we also know he left on multiple losses, has visibly been addicted to drugs and criminality, and hasn't done anything in years. So if they paired him with a random fighter on a unremarkable random card tomorrow (not that they would, I'm just saying...) I really wonder how much star power he still has as of today. Back when he was an international star they did exactly that (vs Cerrone) and he did 900k. So that was his baseline at his peak fame levels. I would assume if they duplicated that exact card tomorrow it would not crack 500k. But that's just my guess.
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You are hitting on valid points.

I agree that the intrigue with Tyson will have dropped off, given how the Jake Paul fight went...ditto for Conor due to his losses and time off. His scumbag behaviour may help or hurt depending who you ask.

The question indeed becomes...to what extent has interest dropped? We don't know...but I believe Conor may still represent the type of 'event' that ultra-casuals will tune in for once or twice a year, similar to (but not to the same degree) that tons of people who watched Tyson-Paul were not even casual boxing fans or fans of Jake Paul in general.

A key variable this time around for Conor and the UFC (and one that we had with Tyson-Paul too) is the difference that hosting the fight on a streaming service will make vs. on PPV. When viewers need to shell out $80 for a PPV, then a big drop-off in numbers obviously becomes more likely. Put that fight on a streaming service and that is less probable (and less of a concern for everyone involved). As for the gate, even with this unique setup, I highly doubt the UFC is worried about filling seats.
 
volcom5 said:
That makes no sense, UFC 229 is the biggest UFC event ever, maybe even in MMA as a whole. Mayweather Jr vs Mcgregor is in the top 10 Boxing PPV & event. Even Mcgregor vs Poirier 3 is up there as one of the biggest events. As much I dislike Mcgregor cant deny he was still in demand and relevant in terms of people wanting to see him compete as recent as the Poirier 3 bout, when it comes to relevancy in the rankings and status as a fighter then sure he hasn’t been relevant since the Khabib bout, but saying he hasn’t been relevant since Obama was in office is flat out just being a hater, which this thread is about being in demand which you could still say he was in demand even as recent as the Chandler bout, which to me wasnt really anything to to jump for joy about.
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<smellit>
 
I can't wait to see Chandler kick Conor's a$$. Probably won't happen ( as in Conor actually fighting) and Chandler gets stood up again.
 
jsbx45 said:
I can't wait to see Chandler kick Conor's a$$. Probably won't happen ( as in Conor actually fighting) and Chandler gets stood up again.
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I'm all in on Chandler fighting Grant Dawson at the White House.
 
jeskola said:
Khabib, Jones and Ngannou aren't in the same league as Conor as far as draw power and fame. When Bud Crawford was asked about MMA the other night, the name he brought up was Conor. You are thinking like a sherdogger and a MMA fan - Conor goes way beyond that. Conor has 46.5 million IG followers. The majority of his fan base are not MMA fans, they are celebrities, athletes, wanna-be influencers, casuals, and ultra-casuals.
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In 2026 connor isn't in the same league as 2016 connor, And Never Will Be. There is no redemption arc short of him repelling down the side of a burning skyscraper with a baby in his arms saving it from certain death does he regain even a shred of his former popularity... Did you see the poll in the other thread.... he's a washed up, coke addled, has been and Nobody that cares for the sport gives a fuck about connor...
 
ultra321 said:
Nobody that cares for the sport gives a fuck about connor...
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I dont think that's true.

He still remains a polarizing figure who people will tune into watch, wether they think he's washed or not. They have to see what happens.
 
HHJ said:
I dont think that's true.

He still remains a polarizing figure who people will tune into watch, wether they think he's washed or not. They have to see what happens.
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polarizing figure and someone people want to spend money on to cheer for and watch fight are two very different things...
 
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