Conor McGregor Comments on Potential WWE Appearance, Cultural Impact, More

Never one to shy away from offering his opinion on anything that crosses his mind, UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor recently spoke on a wide variety of topics.

With WrestleMania 33 approaching April 2, McGregor left the door open for a possible WWE appearance at some point.

"Never say never," he said, per MMA Fighting. "I'll love to go into that WWE and have a real knock. Let one of them have a real knock and see what's what. But we'll see. There's conversations ongoing. I've turned down some things, the conversation's still ongoing."

WWE and the UFC have agreed to share talent in the past. Brock Lesnar returned to the Octagon in July at UFC 200. Ronda Rousey had a memorable appearance with The Rock, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 31 in 2015.

McGregor also had some choice words for WWE chairman Vince McMahon, particularly regarding the unique walk McMahon has on WWE television, which McGregor used following his victory over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November.

"I'm thinking Vince McMahon must be pissed," McGregor said. "I don't give a f--k about Vince McMahon. I stole that walk, and that walk is now mine. And not Vince, or any of those p---ies over at the WWE will do anything about it. That's my walk. I created that walk. I made that walk."

On a more genuine note, McGregor was appreciative of the many athletes in other sports he's seen adopt elements of his swagger and style.

"All different cultures, all different sports, all the NFL players, all the NBA players, all the football players over here," he said. "Look, fighting is everywhere. American football is over there. Soccer, or football as we call it, is over here. Fighting is f--king everywhere, and we're finally seeing that. So I'm very happy and very proud of that."

McGregor has turned himself into one of the biggest sports stars in the world as well as a box-office hero for the UFC.

His brash attitude can rub some people the wrong way, but he's proved to be one of the world's best fighters time and again. And there's no reason to think he will slow down anytime soon. 

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UFC: The Demise of the Super Bowl Weekend Megacard

"The Super Bowl of MMA" is a term you’ve probably heard before.

It’s one that’s been kicking around for years, a tongue-in-cheek proclamation that people cling to when it’s time to talk about the UFC.

As the biggest name in the game, the promotion is the only one that comes close to claiming such a title, offering the biggest stars and the biggest events while hauling in the biggest volumes of cash for their work.

The comparison comes from the Super Bowl itself. The real, literal, actual Super Bowl, the one that’s become the biggest television event on Earth and that floats a degree of commerciality totally unmatched in modern times.

It doesn’t get much bigger.

And not that long ago, the UFC was doing its part to make Super Bowl weekend just a little more special. While The Big Game has long staked its claim to Sunday, Saturday night had become a night for The Super Bowl of MMA to shine.

Huge names. Huge fights. Huge events. Huge money. If you were a fan of MMA and a fan of football there wasn’t a better weekend on the calendar.

Note the tense there, though—were. That’s important, because we’re living in a very different time heading into Super Bowl Weekend 2017.

Saturday night will mark a mostly uninspired, free-TV offering from the UFC that’s a far cry from what the promotion offered over the past decade.

Names like Randy Couture, Vitor Belfort, Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva and Brock Lesnar all appeared on past Super Saturdays, while mega fights like Georges St-Pierre vs. BJ Penn and Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz drew considerable attention in their own right.

Even though there was a decline in star power after a 2013 superfight between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar, the events remained relevant and certainly worthy of pay-per-view.

Renan Barao, at the peak of his unbeatability, fought Urijah Faber in Newark, New Jersey, with the Super Bowl happening just down the Turnpike. 2015 gave the world the bewildering, surreal Diaz-Silva middleweight special attraction, one that was later revealed to be fuelled by pot and tainted sexual performance enhancers but was a blast nonetheless.

However, last year, a bizarre series of injuries and pull-outs by planned headliners Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum turned a planned pay-per-view into a show on Fox Sports 1. It drew adequate attention, apparently enough for the promotion to forget its roots in the biggest sports weekend of the year and pivot to a network show once again.

This is not to entirely slag the event happening this weekend, though. As was done with UFC 169, the promotion will show up in the same city as the Super Bowl, which is a stroke of genius, and there are some reasons to be excited about the offering—the beloved Korean Zombie's return, uber prospect Alexa Grasso's first big test and Jessica Andrade's probable coronation as a strawweight title contender chief among them.

Yet as compared to the way things used to be, it’s just not up to snuff.

Super Saturday and the inevitable top-flight UFC event that would happen used to be appointment-viewing. For a good many years, it was more exciting on paper than the uninteresting game/halftime show the NFL was tirelessly pushing for the next night.

No one can make the argument that a Fox Sports 1 show headlined by an action fighter who hasn’t clocked ring time since 2013 tackling a guy in the back half of the top-10 requires anything close to an appointment. It’s perhaps a puzzling decision for WME-IMG, which seems to love selling big names far more than previous UFC ownership did.

Either way the end result is that anyone who remembers how great this weekend once was as an MMA fan has to be underwhelmed by the trajectory it’s been on over the past few years. You can hope it changes back to the way it once was, with superstars fighting for world titles at the highest level of the sport, but no one would blame you for being skeptical.

The Super Bowl of MMA? Not if this weekend is any indication.

Oh well. At least there’s still the Super Bowl of the actual Super Bowl.

 

Follow me on Twitter @matthewjryder!

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Conor McGregor Has No Chance vs. Floyd Mayweather, Says Jose Aldo

Add UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo to the growing list of athletes who don't believe MMA sensation Conor McGregor would have much of a chance if he took on retired five-division world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. inside a boxing ring.

Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting passed along comments Aldo made about the potential cross-discipline clash during a Facebook Q&A session Friday. The Brazilian, who lost to McGregor at UFC 194 in December 2015, thinks the undefeated boxer would be a prohibitive favorite.

"Mayweather has the experience of competing for years in the sport of boxing, so I don't see how," he said. "Of course, it's a fight, but it's hard for us MMA fighters to go to a different world challenging one of the best in the history. I don't see a result different than a win for Mayweather."

Aldo also discussed the chances the hyped fight happens at all: "First of all, we don't know if it will happen or not. There are a lot of things involved, mainly McGregor has a contract to follow so it's hard to happen, but if it happens, I don't think he has a chance."

It's a long shot, at least based on the early negotiations.

On Fox Sports' The Herd with Colin Cowherd, UFC President Dana White offered both fighters $25 million apiece as a guaranteed purse with the chance to negotiate a split of the pay-per-view revenue. Meanwhile, Mayweather demanded $100 million during an appearance on ESPN's First Take.

Not only is that an enormous bridge to gap, but it's unclear if there would even be enough money in the fight to generate that type of payout.

That said, if McGregor and Mayweather actually reach an agreement, it's hard to find any notable names who would be willing to give the UFC star a puncher's chance.

Longtime MMA fighter Tito Ortiz recently told TMZ Sports that McGregor wouldn't be able to keep pace with any marquee boxer, whether it's Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao, in a boxing match.

Former heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis stated on social media the type of match would be the deciding factor: "Mayweather if they box. McGregor if MMA."

Ultimately, that common outlook is the biggest challenge in trying to sell the fight to a mainstream audience. It's hard to make the case McGregor would be able to step into a boxing ring against one of the best fighters in history and remain competitive, let alone emerge victorious.

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Ronda Rousey Broken at UFC 193, According to Holly Holm's Coach

With Ronda Rousey's UFC future in question following consecutive losses, Holly Holm's coach expressed his belief that the formerly dominant star is done with fighting. 

In an interview this week with Submission Radio (h/t MMA Fighting), Mike Winkeljohn said he thought Rousey's loss to Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015 carried over and contributed to her loss against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 this past December:

I think Holly broke her [Rousey]. I think Ronda was on top of the world and Holly broke her, because when she came out for Amanda [Nunes] she just wasn't the same fighter by any means. Not taking anything away from Amanda, but Ronda, she didn't have anything, she just wasn't there. She was just basically waiting for the end in essence once she couldn't find a way to grab her. And she did the same thing she's done before in the past, reaching out with her left arm and trying to corral. It was just a one-sided fight just like I said. I think she's done.

Rousey was 12-0 and the holder of the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship prior to Holm shockingly knocking her out in the second round.

After more than a year away, Rousey returned to challenge Nunes, but the bout lasted just 48 seconds before she was knocked out again.

According to ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne, Rousey released the following statement in the wake of her loss to Nunes:

I want to say thank you to all of my fans who have been there for me in not only the greatest moments but in the most difficult ones. Words cannot convey how much your love and support means to me.

Returning to not just fighting, but winning, was my entire focus this past year. However, sometimes—even when you prepare and give everything you have and want something so badly—it doesn't work how you planned. I take pride in seeing how far the women's division has come in the UFC and commend all the other women who have been part of making this possible, including Amanda.

I need to take some time to reflect and think about the future. Thank you for believing in me and understanding.

Rousey has yet to make a decision on her future publicly, but UFC President Dana White said on the UFC Unfiltered podcast (h/t Sports Illustrated) Tuesday he believes she is "probably done" fighting.

The Olympic bronze medal-winning judoka undoubtedly lost her aura of invincibility against Holm, and she looked nothing like her former self in a listless performance against Nunes.

Rousey still has major name recognition and enough cachet to generate major pay-per-view buys for the UFC, but after experiencing success as an actor and writer, she has other options at her disposal if she opts to leave the Octagon for good.

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UFC Fight Night 104: Bleacher Report Main Card Staff Predictions

Guess who's back, back again? No, it's not Eminem. "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung is back!

The former featherweight title contender returns from his mandatory military service to headline the UFC's Super Bowl show. He jumps right back into the thick of the division with a matchup against Dennis Bermudez.

The six-fight main card also features two important strawweight tilts. In the co-main event, Alexa Grasso looks to take the next step up the ladder and go from prospect to contender against Felice Herrig. However, in spite of it's card placement, there is a bigger 115-pound fight on the docket.

Angela Hill, the former Invicta FC champion, returns to the UFC to take on Jessica Andrade in what should be a title eliminator, sending the winner into a bout against Joanna Jedrzejczyk later this year.

What does the B/R staff think of these fights and the remainder of the main card?

Craig Amos, Scott Harris, Steven Rondina and Nathan McCarter join you once again for a complete rundown of the main card and offer their predictions. Let's hit it!

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