Fans have been arguing vehemently for about a week over whether Conor McGregor should be allowed to fight at UFC 200, ever since McGregor decided to retire (sort of) via Twitter last week. While McGregor fans argue that Conor deserves preferential treatment for being one of the most lucrative fighters to ever step foot into the octagon, the fact is that Conor McGregor knew what he was signing up for when he accepted a main event fight on the biggest card in UFC history. Brock Lesnar admittedly hates almost all human beings on the planet, but he was available for all necessary media for his main event at UFC 100. McGregor got cranky, and instead of stepping up and fulfilling his obligations, he threw a fit and decided to “retire” via social media, assuming he could strong-arm the UFC into giving him every concession he wanted. Admirably, Dana White dug in his heels, and seems completely comfortable proceeding with UFC 200 sans McGregor, despite the financial impact leaving the UFC’s most popular fighter off UFC 200 will have. In a world where fans always condemn promoters who do everything and anything for the money, White should be commended for his resolve to show his biggest superstar that nobody is above the UFC.
So obviously, the only real option that Dana White has, is to put Conor McGregor back on the UFC 200 card.
I’m all for proving a point, and I certainly celebrate the willingness of the UFC to punish McGregor when he clearly overrated his influence. However, the UFC simply doesn’t have another fight that they can put in the main event spot of UFC 200 which will come nearly close to satisfying its fan base. Early rumors were that Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier would be the go-to fight to add, however after Jones’ uninspiring performance on Saturday, all of the bad blood between Jones and Cormier still won’t allow the hype and excitement to reach the same levels that McGregor and Diaz will generate. Jones and Cormier need to fight, but UFC 200 is not the place, especially if it requires Cormier to rush back from injury sooner than he should, leading to a fight with built-in excuses and no clear conclusion.
Also, with all of the recent injuries UFC has suffered, the last thing they want for the biggest card in UFC history is to need to move one more co-main event into the prime time slot. While Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar could certainly headline almost any other card, fans already know that UFC doesn’t see it as a UFC 200 main event, so it’s unlikely fans will accept it either. Not to mention, UFC 200 will be one of the biggest chances all year that UFC has to bring in casual fans, as long as they have a fight which can captivate the interest of the general public. Jose Aldo is one of the greatest fighters in the world, but Aldo/Edgar isn’t the fight to bring those casual fans back. UFC truly only has two transcendent fighters on the roster currently, and with Ronda Rousey apparently having a date with Madison Square Garden in November, McGregor is the only one who can capitalize on the opportunity ahead for UFC. And yes, that’s the case even if Georges St. Pierre steps back into the cage.
Ultimately, as angry and stubborn as Dana White is, his job is to give the fans what they want, and it’s obvious that whether they love him or hate him, the fans want to see Conor McGregor take on Nate Diaz at UFC 200. There are plenty of ways that White can prove his point to McGregor’s camp, via fines, extra media, whatever he wants. But by punishing McGregor by removing him from UFC 200, they’re really only punishing the fan base by robbing them of the biggest fight they can possibly put on.