Mailbag: Conor McGregor fallout, UFC Macau, and what’s going on with PFL and Bellator

Final week, the UFC made its long-awaited return to China with UFC Macau, the place Petr Yan turned in a classic efficiency in opposition to Deiveson Figueiredo to reinsert himself into the bantamweight title dialog. Plus an entire bunch of different stuff occurred together with Conor McGregor being found civilly liable for sexually assaulting a woman in 2018.

Evidently, it was a busy week so let’s focus on it, together with what’s developing.

Conor McGregor fallout

“Do you see a fallout from Conor’s lawsuit as regards to broadcast deal? A online game firm already dropped him. UFC doesn’t care until it impacts their backside line; however might it have an effect on negotiations? Or will the deal be too attenuated from the case?”

Let’s begin right here: whereas McGregor was discovered civilly answerable for sexually assaulting Nikita Hand, and ordered to pay roughly 1 / 4 million {dollars} in damages, it’s necessary to recollect this was not a felony conviction. For the uninitiated, the distinction between civil and felony (apart from punishment, clearly) is that civil convictions require “a balancing of chances” whereas felony convictions require a jury to convict “past an inexpensive doubt.” To simplify, principally civil judgments require a 51% of certainty, whereas felony ones require 99.99% of certainty.

That being stated, convictions within the court docket of public opinion require far lower than a civil jury, and whereas there’ll all the time be individuals who reflexively defend something, my anecdotal studying of the McGregor fallout has to date led me to imagine {that a} majority of individuals are out on McGregor. That fallout is already being felt by McGregor who has sponsors and projects dropping him like a heavy weight. Even his personal whiskey model (technically not his since he offered possession, however you recognize what I imply) Proper No. Twelve has distanced themselves from him. As a result of that is what occurs if you find yourself credibly accused of rape.

After all, the UFC is likely to be one of many few main firms on this planet the place that isn’t essentially a deal breaker. In spite of everything, McGregor wouldn’t be the first person accused of terrible crimes to still get fights in the UFC. Far from it. For years, UFC CEO Dana White has written off all kinds of conduct that wouldn’t fly in every other context with a waive of the hand, and “I’ve got 700 lunatics under contract.” On condition that this isn’t a felony conviction, it’s straightforward to think about the promotion will brush this below the rug as greatest it may.

And I think it’ll be fairly profitable at doing so. White himself faced no recourse for slapping his wife in public and that went away in a matter of weeks. The fanbase, by and enormous, doesn’t care and I battle to suppose any broadcaster could have large considerations both. In spite of everything, ESPN (a Disney-owned firm) had no qualms with operating Greg Hardy on the market, and he wasn’t even actually a needle mover.

No, the fallout from McGregor’s actions will land squarely on McGregor himself. As a result of whereas the UFC is unlikely to care, as we’ve seen, the remainder of the world does. There are just too many different individuals to do enterprise with who don’t have one thing so horrible following them round. So I think McGregor will proceed to get dropped by sponsors, and from enterprise offers, and any plans there have been for him to interrupt into Hollywood are out the window. Who wants the headache of tying themselves to somebody like that?

The truth is, in a bizarre and tragic coincidence, this may increasingly really be the factor to carry McGregor again to combating. He actually doesn’t have to as he’s nonetheless richer than cream, however with the world closing itself off to McGregor for the primary time in years, and few different enterprise alternatives obtainable to him, this is likely to be what pushes him again into the health club. The truth is, he’s already hinting at just that.

As a result of if there’s one factor that’s been confirmed repeatedly its that folks can forgive rattling close to something in case you give them a motive to like you once more. In spite of everything, Mike Tyson really went to jail for rape and but not even a month in the past 60 million households tuned in to watch him fight again. Possibly McGregor can take an analogous journey again into the nice graces of the general public.

UFC Macau

“What do you factor Deiveson Figueiredo’s subsequent transfer needs to be?”

Now on to some happier matters, particularly the aftermath of UFC Macau.

On Saturday, Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo placed on among the best fights of 2024. It gained’t win Battle of the Yr, and it in all probability gained’t even crack the top-five, nevertheless it was the definition of elite MMA on each degree. With the win, everyone knows the place Yan ought to go subsequent — a five-round rematch with Sean O’Malley — however what about Figgy Smalls?

Figueiredo is about to show 37, which implies we in all probability don’t have that for much longer left for the prime of his profession. As such, we must always not waste it. Figueiredo ought to completely combat in enjoyable matchups, and the primary one which jumps off the web page to me is Jose Aldo. Each are coming off aggressive losses (Aldo ought to’ve gained, I’ll die on this hill) and each are former champions in a unique division then they began in. When the UFC heads again to Brazil subsequent years, ebook that for 5 rounds because the co-main occasion.

Carlos Ulberg

“What subsequent for Carlos Ulberg after win #7 in a row?”

Ulberg beat Volkan Oezdemir in an expert but uninspiring efficiency on the principle card of UFC Macau. Now, he sits at No. 7 within the UFC gentle heavyweight rankings and together with his massive profitable streak, appears to be like poised for a title run. Given all that, there’s no mistaken technique to eat this Reese’s, actually, however Ulberg vs. Khalil Rountree in a hanging matchup appears enjoyable and acceptable.

Jon Jones

“How do you establish if Jon Jones is attempting to receives a commission what he’s value to combat Tom Aspinall or if he’s pricing himself out as a result of he has no actual intentions of combating him, aka ducking?”

Effectively, Jones won’t ever receives a commission what he’s value to combat Tom Aspinall as a result of he fights within the UFC and so they don’t try this. However setting that apart, the reply is that we’ll by no means know. Solely Jon Jones is aware of what’s in his personal coronary heart and what his motivations are. So until you’re Jones, we will solely guess. And until Jones comes out and says “I’ll solely do it for $1 billion” then a guess is all we have now.

Except, in fact, the UFC does resolve to spend the cash wanted to make the combat. If the UFC meets Jon’s calls for after which he begins shifting the goalposts, then that’s a transparent indication he by no means needed the motion within the first place. However once more, will we ever know that? Unlikely.

So finally, you’ll simply must resolve for your self whether or not Jones asking for more cash than he usually would (which is what he himself is saying he’s doing) is savvy negotiation or a tacit admission that he thinks he might lose to Aspinall and thus solely will danger it if he’s paid a king’s ransom. I do know the place I stand, and actually, I don’t blame him for the selection I imagine he’s making even when I don’t essentially prefer it.

PFL Championships

“What are you trying ahead to extra, Thanksgiving or a gazillion hours of the 2024 PFL Championship?”

Why not each? PFL Championships and Thanksgiving is a practice just like the NBA and Christmas.

OK, it’s not fairly like that, however I’ll admit that I do benefit from the PFL Championships yearly. As a result of even in case you haven’t saved up with the season format or no matter, we’re nonetheless speaking about significant fights. Six new millionaires might be created on Friday, and even when the fights are all horrible (they might be!), that’s nonetheless fairly rattling cool.

Having stated that, I’m as soon as once more begging the PFL to please rent me as a advisor, as a result of doing one mega-card on Friday strains occasion probably the most optimistic of followers (like myself). There may be merely no motive to carry all six match championships on the identical card, and there may be REALLY NO REASON WHATSOEVER to even have 5 extra regional championship bouts on that very same card. 10 fights that may probably go 25 minutes is INSANE! Plus, for some motive recognized to solely God and Donn Davis, the occasion additionally has 6 extra fights scheduled! There are jurisdictions that may take into account this a warfare crime.

The very apparent, easy reply right here is that the PFL Championships needs to be a two-day extravaganza! Half the match bouts on Friday after which the opposite half on Saturday. Take over all the weekend, and ship not simply championship bouts, however fill in with as many different good fights as you possibly can. Other than it being good enterprise, don’t you suppose fighters may like the prospect to earn some cash proper earlier than the vacations and the lengthy break you will have till the beginning of subsequent season?

This isn’t arduous and I don’t know why they’ll’t see it.

Bellator

“Ideas on the Bellator lack of fights scenario?”

And alongside these traces, PFL has to get its shit along with Bellator. When practically each among the best fighters you acquired in shopping for out Bellator has spoken out publicly against you, you’re screwing the pooch. All the nice will PFL had firstly of the 12 months is gone, and I really haven’t any clue what the hell they’re doing at this level.

When PFL purchased Bellator, my fast thought was that this was a fantastic transfer, as a result of whereas PFL has broadcast deal and a few issues in its favor, what it didn’t have was a roster of expertise. Buying Bellator tremendously helped them on that entrance, however to look them flounder and flub all these nice fighters has been nothing in need of a catastrophe. Not simply because it sucks as a fan, however as a result of it’s killing the PFL model. When revered fighters shit on you en masse, that doesn’t make different fighters begin lining as much as be a part of the promotion. It’s simply horrible enterprise that gained’t simply harm them this 12 months, however will very possible tremendously impede the PFL’s capability to re-sign this expertise when the time comes. It’s a very unforced error.

My greatest guess is that PFL couldn’t financially shut up Bellator after buying it for some authorized or monetary causes and as a substitute needed to maintain it limping alongside to expire a clock. Frankly, it seems like that clock is close to its finish, and my guess is that by subsequent 12 months, Bellator might be folded utterly below the PFL model, at which level fighters could have a neater time getting booked, however the harm could already be achieved by then.

I believed 2024 might be a transformative 12 months for the PFL, and it’s trying like I is likely to be proper, simply not in the best way I imagined.

Thanks for studying, and thanks for everybody who despatched in tweets (Xs?)! Do you will have any burning questions on issues no less than considerably associated to fight sports activities? Then you definately’re in luck, as a result of you possibly can ship your tweets to me, @JedKMeshew, and I’ll reply my favourite ones! Doesn’t matter in the event that they’re topical or insane, simply as long as they’re good. Thanks once more, and see y’all subsequent week.