UFC president, Dana White knows how big of a star Conor McGregor is.
McGregor is no doubt the biggest star in MMA but White believes he is one of the biggest in combat sports history. But, it isn’t just McGregor as the star of the UFC, rather the UFC boss knows he has a number of solid draws.
“You got Conor, you got Jon Jones, you got Israel Adesanya, [Kamaru] Usman is working his way up, [Jorge] Masvidal is a huge star, Nate Diaz is a big star. There’s a lot of guys, and there’s different levels,” Dana White said on The Will Cain Show. “Conor McGregor isn’t [just] the biggest star in MMA. Conor McGregor is one of the biggest stars ever in combat sports, period…. In sports, period. When you think about combat sports, you’re talking [Muhammad] Ali, [Mike] Tyson, McGregor, [Sugar Ray] Leonard. I mean he’s in that category.”
For Dana White, what makes Conor McGregor a star is simple. It’s the way he fights and how he is always going for the finish.
White understands the fan’s love knockouts and he knows that is what McGregor brings.
“First of all his fighting style. It’s fun. Tell me the last Conor McGregor fight that sucked? It doesn’t exist. Just his personality, he has a great personality, a contagious laugh. He’s funny. He’s just got that it factor, and he’s got that aura that people love.”
Conor McGregor, of course, is coming off a 40-second highlight-reel knockout win over Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. It was his first fight in 15 months and served as his first win inside the Octagon since 2016.
When the Irishman will fight again remains to be seen. But, Dana White is adamant he wants the Khabib Nurmagomedov rematch barring ‘The Eagle’ beats Tony Ferguson at UFC 249.
Do you agree with Dana White that Conor McGregor is one of the biggest stars in the history of combat sports? Sound off in the comment section, PENN Nation!
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 1/31/2020.