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After this weekend this kid's potential is undeniable. I'm on board with the thinking that he's the next big star for this sport (which happens to come at the perfect time for the UFC).

How do you guys feel about Conor? He's obviously got the best hype game in the UFC today and maybe, in his own little way he outshines the GOAT of hype in Chael Sonnen. Do you feel that his bite will match his bark and he's going to be one of the all time greats or just a flash in the pan guy?

He has potential, but it's greatly premature to say he's going to be champ someday as some are.

Also I don't like him.

His upside has yet to be determined, but his star power and mass appeal can't really be denied.

I'm in on Conor, but at the same time, I don't fully understand how/why he is so popular. More the how. Hes had 3 UFC fights. One on the Facebook prelims of a Fuel TV event, another on the prelims of a Fight Night, and now the main event of a Fight Pass event.

It kind of seems like the UFC just told everyone he is a star, put him in situations where the crowd would back that up (Boston, Ireland), and now we believe it.

I hope he fights someone like Swanson, Aldo, Mendes, Frankie or Lamas, any top-5 so he can start being humble. I dislike him.

I like him, but yeah, too early.

He's the closest thing they have to a budding star, though. The GSP comparison is apt, I think, not in terms of fighting style, but in terms of hype/potential/ability to sell a card based on one fighter, etc.

Assuming she doesn't jump ship too quickly, and assuming that he is actually even 75% of the fighter that he thinks he is, Conor and Ronda may be the next wave of draws for the ufc now that the old wave is all but gone.

But even if he isn't title material, the ufc can do what they have done with Bisping for years, give him big time spots against the right opponents just to keep fooling people into thinking he's at that level.

REDDzone wrote:Assuming she doesn't jump ship too quickly, and assuming that he is actually even 75% of the fighter that he thinks he is, Conor and Ronda may be the next wave of draws for the ufc now that the old wave is all but gone.

But even if he isn't title material, the ufc can do what they have done with Bisping for years, give him big time spots against the right opponents just to keep fooling people into thinking he's at that level.

Yeah, exactly. If not the Irish GSP, then certainly the Irish Bisping.

Bisping's momentum was stalled a bit because of the Hammer/Evans fights... if Conor can avoid losing his next two fights, they'll be able to get a marquee fight (or two, at least) out of him anywhere on the globe.

I don't have a huge deal of faith in the UFC's matchmaking in recent times but if I were them I'd be keeping him away from anyone resembling a wrestler until he's at least in title contention (based on results, not hype).

blkout wrote:I don't have a huge deal of faith in the UFC's matchmaking in recent times but if I were them I'd be keeping him away from anyone resembling a wrestler until he's at least in title contention (based on results, not hype).

Or he can just keep utilizing those Nova Uniao-esque fence-grabbing skills.

blkout wrote:I don't have a huge deal of faith in the UFC's matchmaking in recent times but if I were them I'd be keeping him away from anyone resembling a wrestler until he's at least in title contention (based on results, not hype).

The ufc is so frantic to always get the "big fight" these days, whether or not it makes sense, that I could easily see them giving Conor a shot if he impresses in his next bout.

REDDzone wrote:Or he can just keep utilizing those Nova Uniao-esque fence-grabbing skills.

Yeah right, Aldo grabbed the fence once against Mendes and then all NU fighters are fence grabbers... Yessir, you're right!

Varejao17 wrote:

REDDzone wrote:Or he can just keep utilizing those Nova Uniao-esque fence-grabbing skills.

Yeah right, Aldo grabbed the fence once against Mendes and then all NU fighters are fence grabbers... Yessir, you're right!

Meh my comment was tongue-in-cheek and I don't care to argue it too much but Dantas and Hacran Dias have had fence grabbing episodes in recent history as well.

Fine, you're right, my response was tongue-in-cheek either. Friends?

And I like the Bisping comparison someone made, but McGregor can finish.

CPT wrote:I'm in on Conor, but at the same time, I don't fully understand how/why he is so popular. More the how. Hes had 3 UFC fights. One on the Facebook prelims of a Fuel TV event, another on the prelims of a Fight Night, and now the main event of a Fight Pass event.

It kind of seems like the UFC just told everyone he is a star, put him in situations where the crowd would back that up (Boston, Ireland), and now we believe it.

He also rode around Vegas with Dana and was in some of his vlogs.

I'd say his star power isn't really known yet either. He hasn't proven he could help a PPV as a co-main for instance (of course he hasn't had a a chance yet either). Comparisons to GSP (greatest draw ever, non-Brock division) is very premature, probably even Bisping - he was well known from TUF when that still meant something.

SDM wrote:

REDDzone wrote:Assuming she doesn't jump ship too quickly, and assuming that he is actually even 75% of the fighter that he thinks he is, Conor and Ronda may be the next wave of draws for the ufc now that the old wave is all but gone.

But even if he isn't title material, the ufc can do what they have done with Bisping for years, give him big time spots against the right opponents just to keep fooling people into thinking he's at that level.

Yeah, exactly. If not the Irish GSP, then certainly the Irish Bisping.

Bisping's momentum was stalled a bit because of the Hammer/Evans fights... if Conor can avoid losing his next two fights, they'll be able to get a marquee fight (or two, at least) out of him anywhere on the globe.

The UFC used Bisping to make huge inroads in England and GSP to do the same in Canada. Even if McGregor lacks staying power, he will still allow the UFC to lock down another large International market.

Also, this show apparently broke viewing records in Ireland.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2014/7/21/59 ... n-mma-news

I'm not buying him as a star or a draw until he has a top 5 win. Yeah, he's popular on the internet and in Ireland, but he's never headlined a PPV. Chael Sonnen wasn't really popular before the first Anderson fight. People were tuning into Sonnen vs. Marquart to see if Marquart would be good enough to give Anderson a fight.

He might be the next BJ Penn, he might be the next Chael Sonnen, or he might be the next Bisping, Dan Hardy, Edson Barboza, Hector Lombard, Mark Hominick, Michael McDonald, Nate Marquart, Josh Koscheck, Brandon Vera, ect.

I mean, he's ranked #12 in the UFC featherweight rankings, and Diego got finished in the first round against Poirier also.

At best, Conor lives up to his own hype and is a championship level fighter.

I still think that if his knee holds up, he can at least have a Bisping-esque career. Bisping is a draw who headlines shows and makes a big salary while losing to good fighters and beating top 15ish guys. I still think Conor can get there in terms of the draw, and he is finishing guys instead of jabbing his way to decisions a la Bisping. He's already beating decent guys, headlining shows, and has shown himself to be a regional draw at worst.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_AbFkd7f_0[/youtube]