"Who the fook is that guy?" 6 words that needs no introduction.6 words that will remind you of the greatest entertainer in the recent years The Notorious Conor McGregor. Casual fans love him, die hard fans doubts him, but most of all every fan agrees that he backs it up.
However, the amount of gravity and drawing power of Conor McGregor is now becoming a HUGE problem for the UFC. Conor McGregor became the UFC in the recent years compared to years prior where there were a variety of stars drawing in fans. With McGregor not fighting it is now becoming a huge problem for the UFC.
Average PPV Sales
We will view the average number of sales of three (3) specific timelines in the UFC, the pre-McGegor which is from 2009 - 2013 where stars like GSP and Anderson Silva draws in the numbers. The peak McGregor era which is from 2013 - 2016 where Conor was the only star in the UFC with GSP retired, and Anderson Silva's mystic is shattered. and lastly the post Conor McGregor era which is from 2016 to present day, where he ventured towards boxing fighting the best boxer of all time Floyd Mayweather.
Pre McGregor era (2009 - 2013)
The pre-McGregor era was dominated by two of the longest serving champions in the UFC namely George St-pierre (9 consecutive title defenses) and Anderson Silva (10 consecutive title defenses). During this era is also when Jon Jones became a champion and turning into a superstar. The arrival of Ronda Rousey also coincided during this era which helped the UFC's PPV Sales and in this era existed the dominance of Brock Lesnar in the Heavyweight Division.
The UFC had multiple stars carrying events to high number of PPV Sales. From GSP to Brock Lesnar the UFC had multiple fighters able to bring high number of PPV Sales. Out of the top 10 PPV sales of all time, three (3) came from this era.
McGregor era (2013 - 2016)
The most glorious period of the UFC which brought to the fans great moments such as the multiple patented McGregor phrases "Bring out the red panties", "There are two things I really like to do and that's whoop ass and look good. I'm doing one of them right now and on Saturday night, I'm doing the other." and many more. The period in the UFC where everyone wants to see if McGregor can back up everything he says, if the claim of being "Mystic Mac" is real or just pure dumb luck. McGregor always had the skill set to be a champion but no one predicted his rise to be this fast. From destroying Jose Aldo in 13-seconds, fighting Nate Diaz two weight divisions from his natural faighting weight, and to freezing Eddie Alvarez with movement and flooring him with an accurate 4-punch combo. Everyone was hooked with Conor McGregor and the numbers back it up. With four (4) of the top 10 sales of all time, and four of them inside the top 5, Conor McGregor's gravity towards selling fights is evident.
Post McGregor era (2016 - present)
Conor McGregor has been inactive for almost 2 years in the UFC. The number of PPV sales reflect the impact that Conor McGregor brought during the McGregor era. The UFC failed to replace Conor McGregor with another Conor McGregor, with the right amount of skill and arrogance to make fans love and hate him at the same time. The impact of Conor McGregor is evident with the best PPV sales made by the UFC in the recent years with UFC 216 only making 125,000 PPV sales a far cry from the 1.6 million the name McGregor brought.
Conor McGregor brought with him skill and arrogance that no other fighter can match. Conor McGregor unconsciously set a standard of how to be the "Money Fighter" which a lot of fighters can not emulate. The UFC will never see Conor McGregor numbers again, unless Conor McGregor returns to fight another day.
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