UFC 229 Aftermath : How Much Value Did Conor McGregor Lose

Written by A.G Lee

Well that was a crazy fight card MMA fans with amazing comebacks and last minute finishes, but we're going to skip all that and actually talk about the direct impact Conor McGregor losing has on his personal brand and the UFC as a whole.

Who would've expected former 2 division champion Conor McGregor to lose in the fashion he did, actually being dropped himself by no other than lightweight champion Khabib who has not been known for his striking prowess.

I ain’t never seen a beating like this www.facebook.com/mmayhpewatch #UFC229 pic.twitter.com/w4v8ocraZS

— yng bᵣₒ𝒹ᵢₑ (@YNGBrodie) October 7, 2018

Now we as MMA fans need to figure out how this devalues the brand of Conor McGregor who as we may realize it or not value ties a lot into the UFC considering their marketing and special allowances for the former two division champion prior to his submission loss at UFC 229.

We have yet again been reminded that the ground game of Conor McGregor is not where we believed it to be or thought that it should be considering some of his partners (Yes Dillon Danis) stating that Conor McGregor could submit Khabib Nurmagomedov in a pure submissions match.

Does the UFC pour more money into the Conor McGregor money machine considering his near complete wash of a loss from UFC 229? Does the UFC fight his contract pay even considering he recently signed a 6 fight contract? Do sponsors start lowering the pay of possibly the most prolific MMA superstars in the last half decade? Do fans stop believing in the invincibility and words of Conor McGregor and stop buying his whiskey (We're kidding, it's actually decent.)?

What will it take Conor McGregor to get back into the spotlight and prove himself to be the once unstoppable and seemingly brilliant striking artist that took him from unemployment to one of the most paid athletes in the world in less than half a decade? One fight, two fights especially after a wash like that?

Conor McGregor has tweeted that he'll see the new undisputed champion at the rematch? But who really believes the UFC will give Conor McGregor a rematch after a loss like that, where McGregor was beat in strikes and on the ground? Nate Diaz anyone?

With fighters like Nate Diaz who have proven to be able to beat Conor McGregor unprepared and still give him more than a tough time prepared. That still leaves the likes of a somehow improved Dustin Poirier who was already beaten by McGregor and the also impressive and streaking Tony Ferguson. An 11 fight win streak and only 3 decisions in between them puts Tony Ferguson more than enough ahead of McGregor currently to get the next title shot.

 

These are the types of fight that McGregor would have to take and win in impressive fashion to put himself back in title contention. Or maybe the UFC will just give him another shot for whatever known reason and McGregor fanatics will throw a parade?

In all of this, does the UFC also take a hit to it's value considering the stock they put into McGregor other than any other fighter on the roster? What if McGregor continues on the slide, does the belief in him and UFC slide in parallel with each other, or can the UFC save itself from sinking incase McGregor somehow seems to slip down the dethroned champions curse?