If you remember when Conor McGregor jumped into the cage in Dublin, shoves referee, slaps official at Bellator 187, but the UFC didn’t really do anything. When he caught using a homophobic slur to console friends Artem Lobov backstage at UFC Gdansk, Dana White promised to take action, but nothing actually was taken?
Its been a week now since Conor Mcgregor stormed the UFC 223 media day festivities hurl the metal and dollies at fighters bus, injured two fighters, White was appalled. Later white called the incident “the most disgusting thing that has ever happen in the history of the company.”
Couple days after the incident, White changed his tune dramatically. During the UFC 223 press conference, he confirmed, “We talked yesterday. It’s good.”
Well, former middleweight champion Michael Bisping, who like McGregor, is one of the best trash talkers in MMA, weigh-in at former two-division champion’s behavior on his Believe You Me podcast:
“Just lose the chip, that would be my advice,” Bisping said, per MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew. “Just lose the f**king chip on the shoulder, man. It’s made me realize as well, cause I’ve got a good life. I’m very, very lucky. I thought about this. You see Conor going out there and doing this like, ‘What the hell are you doing? Why would you behave like that?’
“Look at everything he has going for him. People would literally kill to be in his position. People dream of being in that position and now he’s in that position and he’s going out there and acting like that. He’s only letting himself down.”
Shortly after UFC 223 Bus Attack, McGregor turned him into NYPD, where he Charged With Assault And Criminal Mischief. Indeed, this tarnishes Mcgregor’s image and the UFC.
Bisping doesn’t condone McGregor’s antics, but he feels it presents an opportunity for the UFC to turn a negative into positive by booking a potential title fight with newly crowned UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“I tell you right now, if that was Ray Borg that threw a dolly, if that was Rafael dos Anjos that did that, if it was f**king anyone else, they’d be gone. They would be so f**king done in the organization. But no, the footage is on the Embedded! And listen, if you’re the UFC, now you have to do Khabib vs. Conor, and that’s all the Countdown show will be. Conor running in there, smashing the window, Khabib’s reaction, all that type of stuff.
“At the end of the day, is that how you want people to behave? No, but can you turn it into a positive? Of course you f**king can and you can turn it into a s**t-ton of money. That is going to be a MASSIVE pay-per-view. 100 percent. Khabib already has a huge following. Conor, of course, massive following. Them two fight after all that? Forget about it. Well over 1.5 million buys.”
That said, former heavyweight champion Jon Jones has certainly had his fair share of controversies, and he’ll very likely return to action. Several other fighters have run afoul of the law and have competed again under the UFC banner.
Mcgregor was released on bail after posting $50k but is expected to return back to court on June 14, and his immediate future in the UFC depends on what happens in the courts.
As per Bisping if McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov happens in 2018, no doubt it would generate huge PPV revenue.
