Conor McGregor used to promote Paradigm Sports Management with high praise. Even when a fighter like Francis Ngannou left the UFC, McGregor saw it as an opportunity to hype up the management company. He took to social media and wrote, “Correct representation is imperative. Seek Paradigm Sports.” Now, the company—partly owned by ‘The Notorious’—has added another legendary fighter to their stable.

Led by CEO Audie Attar, Paradigm Sports Management has worked with several UFC stars, including Mike Tyson, Michael Bisping, Leon Edwards, and Stephen Thompson. Now, two-time UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili has joined the Paradigm roster. But it wasn’t just her champion status that drew her to the company. Her success outside the Octagon also played a significant role.

Nick LoPiccolo, the Head of the Sports Group at Paradigm, stated, “Weili is not just a champion. She is a generational symbol of strength, excellence, and possibility. Weili has the presence to lead in film, fashion, and media, and we are curating a strategy that reflects the scale of her ambition.”

Weili is the face of Estée Lauder’s first-ever campaign featuring an athlete in China. This move broke records, as a major global beauty brand partnered with a mixed martial artist for the first time. But Estée Lauder isn’t the only brand that chose her as an ambassador. In China, the UFC strawweight champion represents Under Armour and Monster Energy. She has partnered with brands like Pepsi, Audi, iQOO, Honor, JD.com, Carlsberg, and Budweiser.

Beyond brand endorsements, Weili has also showcased her acting skills in After Typhoon. Adding to the excitement, China’s SUNAC Films is producing a scripted drama series titled Unstoppable, which will chronicle Weili’s life journey—from losing the strawweight belt to reclaiming it. Unsurprisingly, many fans weren’t aware of ‘Magnum’s acting ventures.

Now, with Paradigm Sports backing her, ‘Magnum’ can continue to elevate her career—both in the Octagon and in her ventures outside of it. But Paradigm is not all success stories. The McGregor-partnered brand has failed to attract big names, and even lost some big ones, too.

Conor McGregor once tried to sign Sean O’Malley to Paradigm Sports

Before the ostarine debacle caused friction between the pair, McGregor and O’Malley seemed genuinely fond of each other. In fact, ‘The Notorious’ once encouraged ‘Suga’ Sean to sign with Paradigm Sports Management.

During an interview with ESPN MMA in 2024, O’Malley said, “He [Conor McGregor] wanted me to sign to his agency. Like he was telling me, he was trying to tell me ‘Hey you can’t just pick your fights. You got to fight anybody and everybody if you want to be the best. You can’t pick your fights.”

The former bantamweight champion continued, “And I was like, I’m not just saying yes to the UFC. And then he’s like, “Oh, you got to come sign with us—me and Audie [Attar, CEO of McGregor’s Paradigm Sports], or whatever.” However, O’Malley didn’t follow through with McGregor’s request. He felt that Attar and his company wouldn’t be able to represent him in the way he wanted.

This is just one of the failures of the Sports agency. Back in February 2023, they suffered their biggest blow when manager Tim Simpson split from the firm and founded his own Chosen Adeversary Group. The names that left with him – Israel Adesanya, Jiri Prochazka, Leon Edwards, and Max Hollway to name a few. All of them were former UFC champions, and when Simpson split, Edwards was the reigning welterweight champion. McGregor even celebrated his stablemates winning titles on his socials, only to lose them in a surprise move.

But the storyline is very different for ‘Mystic Mac’ and ‘Magnum’. Paradigm Sports is well known for its work in film, media, and brand partnerships, helping athletes shape well-rounded careers. Look at how McGregoe entered the Hollywood scene with Road House. Given Weili’s thriving off-court ventures, Paradigm Sports seems like the perfect fit—don’t you agree?