Not everyone is a fan of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) superstar Conor McGregor. As a fighter who calls his own shots, banks millions and never seems to stop talking, McGregor doesn’t also give himself the best chance to be liked by his peers. Well, current UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier believes it really doesn’t matter if McGregor is liked or not. You have to appreciate his value for what it is and recognize the Irishman’s ability to sell.
“He brings more eyes. I think he is the anti-hero,” said Cormier in a recent interview with The Sun. “He is Stone Cold Steve Austin from 2000. The guy that you’re supposed to kinda root against, but you want to root for. Everything that he does before would have gotten people to boo you. But it’s like they’ve taken to it. It’s something so different that what they’re used to seeing the people love it. I think it’s fine.”
While McGregor isn’t going to land a stone cold stunner on anyone inside the Octagon anytime soon, he is capable of shutting the lights off with one punch, which is something that has fueled his growing popularity.
“Like I used to tell people when they used to ask about Tito Ortiz,” added Cormier. “I’m like you’re gonna pay to see the man fight because you want to see him either win, or you want to see him lose. He talks it and he backs it up. And Conor does the same thing. He’s working magic for the UFC.”
Champions recognize champions, right? While that may not be true for all of UFC’s current titleholders, it’s safe to say Cormier would love the opportunity to compete on a McGregor-led fight card. After all, those type of cards are the biggest in mixed martial arts (MMA) today.
McGrgeor is currently set to headline UFC 205 on Nov. 12 in New York City as he challenges Eddie Alvarez for lightweight gold, while Cormier will defend his light heavyweight strap opposite Anthony Johnson in a rematch at UFC 206 on Dec. 10 from Toronto.