bringbackhoffa wrote:
I have a really hard time seeing Connor fighting in the UFC ever again, unless the UFC are willing to pay him at least $50 million a fight. If they do pay him that amount I see Connor being showcased once a year as a must see PPV event. In addition, with McGregor Productions co-promoting the boxing match, I can see him pushing that as a stipulation for anything UFC related.
From what i read looks like Conner is getting $75 million with a cut of the PPV. It is believed of that $75 million Conner will see 20% with the remaining going to UFC/managers/training partners/taxes/commission. It will be interesting to see what his cut of the PPV will be.
Also I dont believe he has to be repped by Reebok during this fight so he could really cash in another $20-25 million in marketing endorsements for this 1 time match.
Not sure about the sponsorship portion which could throw the numbers and not sure about the PPV points situation. But there had been rumors he was North of 10 mil on the Alvarez fight, so 15 wouldn't necessarily preclude a return. Especially with WME struggling to establish and keep stars happy. The other numbers could shift it, but PPV points would help as Conor stands to increase his drawing power. The fact that Dana negotiated this deal and is now pushing Conor as the P4P top dog in the Mighty Mouse argument gives me the feeling that Dana is confident they'll have Conor back in the octagon by whatever means they'll need and since they know his numbers, that confidence is telling imho.
bringbackhoffa wrote:Should he come back I dont really see it clearing up the LW picture right away. I see his first fight being the trilogy vs Nate Diaz and then should GSP beat Bisping, I see GSP relinquishing the 185 pound belt and facing the winner of Maia vs Woodley for the WW belt.
I don't think Diaz sniffs that fight right away. Conor is the LW champion with an obligation to defend and Nate hasn't earned a shot in any way, shape or form. The UFC wants that match, which is why they pushed Tony Ferguson vs Nate, but Diaz not taking the fight leaves little to no wiggle room to make Nate the next title fight barring an injury to Tony. Even then, Nate wouldn't be the most qualified for a title shot and the UFC is fairly spiteful (ie: "let's threaten to fold a division if the champ won't do what we want!") and wouldn't want to set a precedent with Nate.
As for GSP, the last update from Dana is that Bisping's knee and GSP's eye combine to mean that title fight is off. Romero and Whitaker are fighting for an interim belt. That means Bisping's next defense pretty much HAS to be the winner of that fight. Dana has said GSP will fight for the WW title when he's ready; so I'm expecting GSP vs Woodley next. That effectively takes Conor's chance to fight for the WW belt next off the table and makes a LW title defense the most logical next opportunity. But that's all based on what we're told now and things have been shifting so who knows.
bringbackhoffa wrote:Should GSP win the WW fight and Conner beat Diaz they will likely be off at the same time, which will lead to the super fight of all fights with GSP vs Conner at 170 with Conner going for a 3rd belt. If GSP beats Conner at 170 pounds I see a rematch between the 2 at 155 pounds with GSP now going for a 3rd belt
This all does add up but it's based on GSP and Conor winning fights that aren't guaranteed to be booked. I don't think GSP/Conor happens at two different weights in row unless the first fight is super close or extremely entertaining even if they do meet and I'd suggest that (based on what I've laid out above); the line-up for Conor would be Ferguson, Nate, Superfight...and I say superfight, not strictly GSP because GSP is one loss away from retirement according to his own words but there is another name that comes to mind...Max Holloway. So if GSP falls through and Max keeps rolling, I'd be surprised if his name doesn't come up for a rematch as he's undefeated in the four years since losing to Conor, cleared the whole division and took Conor to decision unlike anyone else in the FW division's history (UFC only, I'm not sure about before that).
bringbackhoffa wrote:hence khabib and tony being screwed until 2019 at the earliest
Tony is really the one getting screwed badly. Almost gets Khabib, but he misses weight. Almost gets Nate, but he's not interested for no apparent reason but money. Then Conor is chasing Floyd so no love there. Just gimme a rematch of the epic Edson fight and hopefully Tony is still number one contender whenever Conor decides to either fight again or retire...Tony deserves a title shot no matter who the opponent winds up being. Khabib, I just wanna see make weight. I'd love a jump to 170 and match with Maia though...best two grapplers P4P in MMA imo (also two of my favorite guys). That fight is massively unlikely though.
