Is Conor Mcgregor a True UFC Hall of Famer or Just a Good Fighter?
Conor McGregor definitely lives up to his “Notorious” nickname, but he’s much more than just a troubled celebrity. In his short time in the UFC, he’s quickly become the face of the sport. Here’s look at why Conor McGregor is almost definitely going into the UFC’s Hall of Fame.
A look at the UFC’s Hall of Fame
Like the UFC said, there are four sections in the UFC’s Hall of Fame. The first section is the Contributor Wing, and it honors the people behind the scenes who’ve had a major impact on the UFC. The UFC also has a Fight Wing, and its purpose is to honor the best fights that the UFC has ever had.
And then there are the two wings that honor the fighters themselves. There’s the Pioneer Wing, which honors UFC fighters who fought in the earliest days of the UFC, and then there’s the Modern Wing, which honors UFC fighters who started fighting after the UFC introduced its Unified Rules in late 2000.
The inductees in the UFC Hall of Fame shouldn’t be a surprise to any UFC fan. For example, Ronda Rousey is part of the Modern Wing, Tito Ortiz is part of the Pioneers Wing, and the epic fight between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar is part of the Fight Wing.
Like any other Hall of Fame, the UFC’s Hall of Fame exists to honor the things that have had a big impact on the organization. That’s exactly what McGregor’s done for the UFC.
Why Conor McGregor definitely deserves to be in the UFC Hall of Fame
Other than the inductees in the Contributor Wing, pretty much everyone who’s in the UFC Hall of Fame needs to be a good fighter to begin with. For many fighters, their records may not reflect their skill. However, those fighters became UFC legends for a reason, and it often had to do with the fact that they were, at one point in time, one of the toughest fighters in the world.
And obviously, McGregor’s got that part covered. He doesn’t have a perfect record, and he’s had many losses in his career. But, like the other fighters in the UFC Hall of Fame, those losses don’t really reflect who McGregor is, and, more importantly, what he’s done for the sport.
For example, off the bat, after his victory at UFC 205, he became the UFC’s first double-champ, as he was the champ in two weight classes at the same time. This was a sensational accomplishment, and few fighters have achieved it since.
What Conor McGregor has done for the UFC
But what’s more important than just winning belts, at least as far as the UFC is concerned, is what McGregor has done for the sport’s popularity. It’s impossible to know how many people have become UFC fans just because they saw McGregor fight, but he is, without a doubt, the most popular UFC fighter ever.
As proof of his popularity, even in his comeback fight against Donald Cerrone did over 1 million pay-per-view buys. That was actually one of his worst-selling pay-per-views, too. For example, his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov did over 2 million buys, and his fight against Floyd Mayweather did over 4 million buys.
These numbers have not only made the UFC richer and more popular, but it has, in a way, changed how things are done. For example, one of the reasons why he became popular was because of his trash talking. Nowadays, many UFC fighters have started trash-talking more in an attempt to become like McGregor.
These facts are just a sample of how McGregor has changed the game. His career isn’t even over yet, either. For these reasons and more, he definitely has a reservation in the UFC’s Hall of Fame.
