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“Conor Is Retiring, Nate Is Retired… Khabib’s Gone”: UFC Critic Claims Dana White’s Promotion Lacks Star Power

Published 01/10/2023, 10:18 AM EST

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UFC has seen most of its biggest superstars either retire or approach the twilight stages of their careers. Their name value helped UFC gain a lot of traction and audience in the sporting industry. Former UFC star Brendan Schaub spoke about this issue in a recent episode of ‘The Schaub Show’

There have been many shows in recent times which have lacked star power even though those events produced great fights. UFC thrives on the name value of these MMA superstars. UFC has been holding the Fight Night shows at the Las Vegas APEX. It is an attempt to reduce the cost of producing smaller shows.

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YouTuber-Boxer Jake Paul once took a shot at UFC president Dana White by sharing a post on Twitter that revealed some of the unsold tickets for the UFC 279 event. With Conor McGregor only fighting sporadically and Khabib Nurmagomedov announcing his retirement from MMA, UFC has found itself in a tough predicament.

Brendan Schaub talks about the lack of big names in the UFC

MMA fighter-turned-podcaster Brendan Schaub shared some details about a conversation he had with ‘the Schmo’. He said that MMA content has struggled to grow in 2023. He also mentions that once in a while a big match might excite fans. But then it starts going into obscurity. Schaub also mentions that weigh-ins fail to attract crowds nowadays, and there is “barely” anybody there. He also mentions that the venues aren’t sold out anymore.

“I don’t know if you have noticed …MMA content, in general, is kinda trending low,” said Schaub. He added, “The weigh-ins? There’s barely anybody there now.” Schaub also added that the UFC will not admit or acknowledge the fact that this is an issue for the promotion. And this is the reason why they are hosting shows at the APEX.

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Brendan Schaub believes that MMA has reached its peak in the United States of America. He said, “I Just think …the bubble has burst as far as MMA goes in America. Unless we get like a Bo Nickal or another Conor McGregor.” 

Schaub continued, “Right now, where we are at? Where you have Connor’s retiring, Nate is retired. Conor is not retired but he is kinda doing his thing. You don’t have this huge huge draw in America, you know. Khabib’s gone.”

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UFC’s recent events have produced some great fights over the past year. There have been several draws like Israel Adesanya, Islam Makhachev, and rising stars like Paddy Pimblett. But none of these fighters have been able to reach the big marketable position like their predecessors. What are your thoughts? Who do you think is the biggest UFC draw today? Drop your comments below.

WATCH THIS STORY: UFC 280 Highlights Islam Makhachev tributes Khabib, Logan Paul wish. Sean-O’Malley Charles Oliveira vows to get back

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Written by:

Himanga Mahanta

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Himanga is a UFC author at EssentiallySports. He interned as a WWE author at Sportsmanor before joining EssentiallySports to pursue his interest as a sports journalist. Himanga is a big fan of UFC's Conor McGregor and considers him the most entertaining combat sports athlete of the 21st century.
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Edited by:

Yeswanth Praveen