Is the Conor McGregor Brand Still Focused on Fighting?

Conor McGregor rented out an amusement park this week.
If the absentee UFC lightweight champion’s Instagram can be believed, McGregor paid to close down Funderland Dublin on Monday so he and his inner circle could hold a private party at the place desc…

Conor McGregor rented out an amusement park this week.

If the absentee UFC lightweight champion’s Instagram can be believed, McGregor paid to close down Funderland Dublin on Monday so he and his inner circle could hold a private party at the place described on its website as “Ireland’s largest Christmas theme park.”

From the look of it, a merry time was had by all. That included the champ, who appeared as relaxed as ever while trying not to get ice cream on his $2,000-plus Gucci tracksuit:

The entire Funderland display was extremely on-message for McGregor at the moment. As the 29-year-old king of combat sports’ latest sabbatical from the Octagon creeps up on a whopping 14 months, promoters, fans and potential future opponents all continue to fret over when—or if—he might deign to return.

Yet McGregor appears completely unperturbed, and a string of recent public moves makes it unclear how focused he is on any sort of comeback.

These days, the UFC champ’s social media feed makes him look more like some sort of strange luxury lifestyle brand than a professional fighter.

A glance at his recent Twitter and Instagram timelines shows more posts of McGregor mean-mugging next to private jets, toting snakeskin suitcases and tinkering with his new Cartier lighter than anything else. Sure, there are some gym snapshots sprinkled in there, too, but mostly McGregor appears interested in flaunting his burgeoning wealth in the wake of his August 2017 boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

This obviously is not a new development. Living the good life has always been one of McGregor’s things.

But, at this point, is it his only thing?

The more time that passes—and the more videos we watch of McGregor drag racing through the streets of Dublin—the more we have to wonder if Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter was right all along.

Maybe McGregor is never coming back to the UFC.

When questions began to surface just after New Years about whether he would return to the Octagon to face top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov or interim champ Tony Ferguson, the swaggering Irishman responded with a tweet that he “didn’t give a bollox” and also referenced the signature line of whiskey he expects to make him a boatload more cash during 2018 (NSFW language in tweets):

A few days later, UFC President Dana White indicated the world’s largest MMA promotion might have to consider stripping McGregor of his lightweight title—just as it did his featherweight strap in November 2016—if the two parties can’t come to an agreement soon.

It’s already largely speculated that McGregor’s ongoing contract negotiations could stretch on so long that Ferguson will end up defending his interim title against Nurmagomedov.

Then, maybe McGregor will fight the winner.

Maybe.

But last we heard, McGregor’s stipulations for a new UFC deal included a partial ownership stake in the company, which UFC brass so far appears loath to give up. Now, perhaps White’s patience is wearing thin.

“We can’t let this thing go on forever and not give other guys the opportunity,” the UFC boss told Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole. “… Conor has done very well, he’s made a lot of money and if he decides he doesn’t want to fight again for however long, that’s up to him. That’s his choice and his decision, but the belt has to move on and we have to figure some stuff out here in the next couple months.”

On Monday, longtime head coach John Kavanagh tried to assure the world that McGregor was back in the gym and indeed working toward a return.

“A lot of stuff outside of fighting was going on in his life and he seems to be getting the hang of all that,” Kavanagh told BBC Sport. “Now he’s back training almost every day and I think 2018 will be another big year for us. Exactly what that is, I don’t know yet, but the plan is forming.”

McGregor himself has made no such assurances and gives no indication that he’s formulating such a plan. He’s said from the beginning that he wants to return to fighting eventually, but the details remain sketchy, the timeline foggy and his options too numerous to nail any one thing down.

Kavanagh has said he’ll argue fiercely that his star pupil’s next fight be in MMA, but the specter of another boxing match, against Manny Pacquiao or Paulie Malignaggi, still looms.

All the while, The Notorious seems dead set on living up to his nickname as he carries on with his many leisure pursuits.

In October, McGregor apologized after being caught on camera using an anti-gay slur to try to console teammate Artem Lobov after a loss to Andre Fili.

In November, he slapped a ringside official and got into a scuffle with referee Marc Goddard after he jumped into the cage at a Bellator MMA event in Ireland to celebrate with victorious training partner Charlie Ward.

Most troublingly, on Nov. 30, reports emerged that McGregor had gotten sideways with Irish underworld figures after allegedly striking a gangland associate during a barroom altercation. Even as rumors swirled that shadowy figures were demanding McGregor pay a hefty ransom to get out of the jam, he was late for a court date on a small-time traffic violation.

McGregor showed up for court wearing—guess what?—another tracksuit, and as he sped away from questions about his predicament with an Irish criminal organization in—guess what?—a high-priced sports car, he quipped: “Come and get me. Come and get me.”

None of this escaped the notice of Mayweather, who took time to needle McGregor on Twitter this week (NSFW language):

So, where is all this going?

In the past, MMA observers have proclaimed McGregor a “genius” for the way he’s steadily promoted himself into a bigger and bigger star.

But none of the above smacks of genius behavior.

None of it paints a picture of a guy who’s just about to start training hard for his big return.

What if summer 2018 rolls around and there’s still no sign of McGregor?

How long can we continue to consider him an active fighter while he goes on treating the world as his own private Funderland?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Champ Says He Won’t Avoid Defending Like ‘Afraid’ Conor McGregor

The MMA world is in a verifiable frenzy concerning UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor’s next move. With just about everyone invested in the sport wanting to know if and when he’ll return, the only one who doesn’t seem to care is “The Notorious” himself as he sits on a mountain of cash earned from his […]

The post UFC Champ Says He Won’t Avoid Defending Like ‘Afraid’ Conor McGregor appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The MMA world is in a verifiable frenzy concerning UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor’s next move.

With just about everyone invested in the sport wanting to know if and when he’ll return, the only one who doesn’t seem to care is “The Notorious” himself as he sits on a mountain of cash earned from his boxing fight with Floyd Mayweather last August.

Even the most supportive McGregor fans are getting antsy, and the famed Irish slugger has yet to defend either of his titles since first winning the UFC featherweight belt from Jose Aldo in late 2015. A host of guaranteed-to-be-lucrative bouts awaits him if and when he does return, such as a unification bout with Ferguson or maybe his long-rumored trilogy match with Nate Diaz, even though that fight seems to be losing steam rather quickly.

As McGregor drags his heels, however, another UFC champion is wholly interested in getting the biggest fight he can, and he’s not shy letting those intentions be known. That man is UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, who is currently campaigning for a super fight with dominant flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, a bout “Mighty Mouse” doesn’t seem to be all too enthused about.

Regardless, Dillashaw is still on the hunt for it because he views it as a chance to cement his legacy as one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best, a moniker Dillashaw told FloCombat (via MMA Mania) he believes was ripped from him when Dominick Cruz outlasted him with a controversial split decision two years ago:

“This is a way to put a stamp on my legacy. I was a little hurt losing that split decision [to Dominick Cruz] and not being on a 13-fight win streak and being called the pound-for-pound best in the world.

“In my mind, I should be No. 1. So it comes down to beating Demetrious Johnson to prove I’m the best, and it’s a huge thing for my legacy to be the double champ in two weight classes.”

A win over Johnson, who has racked up 11 consecutive title defenses to stand alone with the record, would certainly go a long way in cementing Dillashaw’s potential status as one of MMA’s top pound-for-pound competitors.

Of course, there’s always the issue of tying up two divisions to make it, which could especially become a problem in Dillashaw’s 135-pound roost, where a plethora of talented challengers awaits him. Dillashaw attempted to cool those concerns by stating if he was to win the 125-pound title, he wouldn’t be like McGregor and would instead remain active by defending:

“I’m not a Conor McGregor. I’m going to be active defending my belts. I’m not afraid to fight.”

He’ll have to procure the fight first, however, and with word arriving that “Mighty Mouse” underwent successful shoulder surgery today, it could be quite some time on the sidelines before he ever gets it – if he does.

Either way, the 135-pound king is looking to do what’s necessary to build his own exposure in an era of MMA where that’s absolutely necessary, and playing off the growing discontent with McGregor’s inactivity is one way to do it.

The post UFC Champ Says He Won’t Avoid Defending Like ‘Afraid’ Conor McGregor appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Dana White Has High Expectations For Francis Ngannou If He Wins At UFC 220

UFC President Dana White is one of title contender Francis Ngannou’s supporters. However, to get to the next level, Ngannou will have to get past his toughest challenge to date as he is slated to challenge Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title. Miocic is no stepping stone as he has knocked out some of […]

The post Dana White Has High Expectations For Francis Ngannou If He Wins At UFC 220 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC President Dana White is one of title contender Francis Ngannou’s supporters. However, to get to the next level, Ngannou will have to get past his toughest challenge to date as he is slated to challenge Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title.

Miocic is no stepping stone as he has knocked out some of the top contenders in the division. With the promotion giving Ngannou a serious push as the ‘baddest man on the planet’ as of late, Miocic will no doubt bring his best come fight night at UFC 220.

The champion is coming into this bout having won five consecutive fights by knocking his opponents out. However, his opponent is no stranger to doing the same.

Ngannou officially earned the title shot after his latest bout when he picked up a first-round knockout of Alistair Overeem that left the veteran unconscious on the canvas for several minutes at UFC 218.

Miocic also defeated Overeem when he scored a first-round knockout over the longtime MMA star last year at UFC 203.

Although the UFC has created built megastars such as Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey, the promotion struggled to create new stars last year.

White believes Ngannou could be next in line as the UFC’s new flagship star. The only catch is that he will need to beat Miocic and win the heavyweight title at UFC 220.

In a recent interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, White hinted that Ngannou could be “the next big thing”, but insisted that fighters have to “f—ing win.”

The post Dana White Has High Expectations For Francis Ngannou If He Wins At UFC 220 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Dana White on UFC in WME-IMG Era: ‘F*ck Yeah, We Delivered’

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White insists that the promotion is in a great financial state after being purchased by WME-IMG. Much has been made over the UFC since the Fertitta Brothers sold the promotion. Many have said that out…

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White insists that the promotion is in a great financial state after being purchased by WME-IMG. Much has been made over the UFC since the Fertitta Brothers sold the promotion. Many have said that outside of when Conor McGregor competes, the UFC lacks buzz on a mainstream level. That […]

Dana White Shuts Down Talks Of UFC Tanking Financially After WME-IMG sale

2017 was an interesting year for the UFC. It marked year 2 under the regime of WME-IMG following the $4.2 billion dollar sale that happened in 2016. The promotion has been in the headlines for various reasons including the disappointing pay-per-view sales and questions about its ability to create new stars. Since the sale, the […]

The post Dana White Shuts Down Talks Of UFC Tanking Financially After WME-IMG sale appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

2017 was an interesting year for the UFC. It marked year 2 under the regime of WME-IMG following the $4.2 billion dollar sale that happened in 2016.

The promotion has been in the headlines for various reasons including the disappointing pay-per-view sales and questions about its ability to create new stars.

Since the sale, the promotion is looking for their next crop of stars since former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar left.

Also, their biggest draw, lightweight champion Conor McGregor, was absent from the Octagon in 2017.

Although many people looking from the outside in believe that a lot of work has to be done for WME-IMG to recoup on its investment, UFC President Dana White is singing a different tune as he went on record by stating that 2017 was a massive success and the business is only flourishing.

“WME-IMG Endeavor bought us for $4 billion, and obviously they need to hit certain numbers for the banks,” White told ESPN. “Right now, I’m spending another $1 million (at UFC’s Las Vegas headquarters) on another wing I want. That’s how bad of a year we’re having.

”(Endeavor CEO) Ari Emanuel wants to buy the building next door and build more s**t. We’re still growing.”

“I think the (2016) sale has everything to do with it,” White continued, speaking to the perception of how the UFC’s business is doing. “Everybody is looking at that $4 billion sale and asking, ‘Did they deliver?’

“F**k yeah, we delivered. We deliver every single year. And still, every year, if you listen to the media, we’re f**ked.”

White brought up the promotion’s involvement in the McGregor-Floyd Mayweather boxing match last August, which saw Mayweather TKO McGregor in the tenth round.

If you add in the money that the UFC received from that fight, it helps with White is saying. According to the UFC President, it would have been a huge year even if that super fight hadn’t happened.

“Who cares if it was a boxing match?” White said. “Do you think we knew Floyd Mayweather was going to fight Conor McGregor in 2017? F**k no. We still had our year lined out, a budget and everything else.

”This is the fight business. You have no f**king idea what’s going to happen. If that fight hadn’t happened, Conor would have fought twice in the UFC and who knows who he would have fought or the fights it would have set up. This s**t doesn’t just happen. We create this s**t.”

The biggest storyline that will be decided in 2018 is where the UFC will air its content. Their contract with FOX is expiring soon, and the promotion is currently in talks with several TV networks about a new broadcasting deal.

“It’s getting more interesting by the minute,” White said. “ESPN buys Fox Sports’ (regional sports networks), which the UFC is perfect for. And you look at Fox, they have a load of cash from the (sale to Disney). You’ve got powerhouses like Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube.”

”Who can offer you a better deal than me in combat sports? F**k boxing, MMA, whatever it is. Who can offer a better deal than me? The answer is nobody. This is what we do. Keep doubting us.”

The post Dana White Shuts Down Talks Of UFC Tanking Financially After WME-IMG sale appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Nate Diaz Confirms He’s ‘Back In Action’ On Social Media

It’s been almost 17 months since we’ve seen fan favorite Nate Diaz in the octagon, and that seems like a lifetime considering the pace the MMA world moves at. After losing a closely-fought decision to archrival Conor McGregor at August 2016’s UFC 202, Diaz immediately campaigned for a lucrative trilogy match but was rebuffed by […]

The post Nate Diaz Confirms He’s ‘Back In Action’ On Social Media appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

It’s been almost 17 months since we’ve seen fan favorite Nate Diaz in the octagon, and that seems like a lifetime considering the pace the MMA world moves at.

After losing a closely-fought decision to archrival Conor McGregor at August 2016’s UFC 202, Diaz immediately campaigned for a lucrative trilogy match but was rebuffed by the UFC. That set off another long period of inactivity for the Stockton, Calif.-based brawler, who called for $15 million to fight “The Notorious” a third time.

But with that number obviously not going to be met, Diaz appeared to be pricing himself out of what would rate as the most high-profile bout of his up-and-down mixed martial arts career, and with McGregor now uncertain to return and facing potential fights with Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov if and when he does, Diaz’ chances of another monstrous payday are fading fast.

So he may be forced to step into other avenues if he wants to continue his fighting career, and today, it appears he’s open to just that. Diaz posted a photo on his Instagram of a recent training session with a caption that declared he was ‘back in action.’

Check it out:

Good work wit my boy @luke_1er Back in action #beast ??

A post shared by natediaz209 (@natediaz209) on

Based on this picture, Diaz is training for his rumored foray into the boxing ring, something that has been thrown about for a few months now.

After McGregor made a high-profile shift to the sweet science for his massive boxing match with Floyd Mayweather last summer, it’s hardly a surprise to see other MMA stars looking to get paid more for a competition that only focuses on one avenue of combat sports, and Diaz has always been regarded as one of the finest boxers in MMA.

There’s little doubt his debut in the sweet science would turn heads and inspire viewers, but with his asking price at an astronomical level, could he really approach the levels he was demanding for the trilogy match opposite McGregor?

He may need the Irishman to get paid like that, but in any case, fans will be excited to see their beloved Diaz back in at least some form.

The post Nate Diaz Confirms He’s ‘Back In Action’ On Social Media appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.