Conor McGregor is arguably the UFC’s biggest star on paper. However, has his absence really affected the promotion’s numbers negatively? An argument can be made that the UFC is still thriving with its pay-per-views without McGregor’s involvement.

So how important is he? He could sell out arenas, but then the UFC 296 was a sold-out event as reported by Dana White. McGregor could bring in a rowdy crowd, but we recently have witnessed numerous newer faces bringing in the same drama with their loud mouths! Surely, someone was to question UFC’s necessity for ‘The Notorious’ back in action. And now, someone has.

UFC vet wonders if Conor McGregor is necessary

Let’s clear this out first hand, Conor McGregor is a fighter with the UFC. In that regard, he’s no lesser and no more than any other fighter and must be treated equally. That being said, McGregor’s pull is undeniable, especially after he became the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2021.

Fans will always boast of his grand persona and Dana White can easily sell out arenas on the back of his name. However, a stacked UFC card can achieve a similar effect. Just like the showdown between Colby Covington and Leon Edwards recently did. So, Chael Sonnen raising a question is all the more interesting.

“Does the UFC need Conor McGregor?” Chael asks his viewers on his YouTube channel. “And that is where the reality starts to be a little bit cold. . . Does the UFC need Conor McGregor? No. Well Chael, how do you get to that? Well they haven’t had Conor in a meaningful period of time. In fact I can’t remember when but I think it was two years and they sold out event after event after event.”

Clearly, a point has been made. Now after McGregor infamously called out Manny Pacquiao for a boxing match because the UFC was making him wait, would Dana White remain so kind? Perhaps he can hold it out for even longer, and tease the audience with his return so that every pay-per-view becomes a countdown for the Irishman’s great return.

Later in the video, Sonnen also discussed Mystic Mac’s potential opponent Michael Chandler.

Sonnen on Chandler and McGregor

Michael Chandler wants Conor McGregor in the cage. There’s no two ways of going about it. And Chandler is a furiously entertaining fighter himself. The longer it takes for the fight to happen, the longer fans keep hanging on by a thread. Sonnen called Chandler a top-ten star in his own right.

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Putting the two together means having “something very special and very massive.” So perhaps Dana White would profit from delaying the fight. Sean Strickland taking on Dricus Du Plessis will already be a big card for UFC 297. A fight that could sell out the arena on its own.

For McGregor, perhaps to keep the spotlight on him and him alone, a much more interesting card awaits at UFC 300. What are your thoughts about it?

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