Dana White explains Conor McGregor's impact, calls him UFC's 'biggest superstar ever'

Former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor is a familiar name in the sports community and is regarded as one of the biggest sporting superstars of the world at present. However, Conor McGregor has not only made a name for himself by competing in the UFC. The Irish giant has equally globalised the promotion to a broader audience and Dana White has often gone on record to state how UFC has benefitted after the emergence of Conor McGregor.

Although the promotion has witnessed a number of superstars in GSP, Chuck Liddell, and Ronda Rousey for years, Dana White believes that no one has ever become a global phenomenon like ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor.

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UFC President Dana White labels Conor McGregor as the biggest superstar of UFC

On Wednesday, UFC President Dana White appeared on boxing promoter Eddie Earn and Tony Bellew's podcast “Hearn & Bellew: Talk The Talk” and discussed a number of things regarding the UFC. While Dana White went onto address his on-going feud with light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, the UFC President did not fail to talk about Conor McGregor in the show. When asked to reflect on the rise of the UFC since past few years, Dana White credited Conor McGregor for its rising popularity.

According to Dana White, whether it was Georges St-Pierre building the Canadian market for the UFC, Anderson Silva drawing attention from Brazil or Ronda Rousey attracting more women fans, none of them can be compared to Conor McGregor since the Irish fighter made the brand have a global appeal. “Everybody on Earth loved Conor McGregor and Conor McGregor opened up territories that had never been that interested in us before. Maybe we had a small fan base there, but he blew the whole country up. He's the first guy that truly was a global star," UFC President Dana White said.

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UFC: Conor McGregor next fight

After a sensational knockout victory against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January this year, Conor McGregor is seemingly on the verge of finalising a “super fight” against former middleweight champion Anderson Silva. ‘The Spider’ recently challenged Conor McGregor for a fight at catchweight (176 lbs) and seemed confident about UFC fans wanting to see the matchup. Conor McGregor appeared to be equally interested in materialising the fight as he went onto accept Anderson Silva’s offer in a recent tweet. However, UFC officials are yet to confirm the bout from their end.

However, Conor McGregor has also been linked with several other matchups. A few weeks ago, UFC President Dana White claimed that he is planning to line up Conor McGregor against BMF Jorge Masvidal at UFC Fight Island. However, with time, the possibility of the matchup has faded away.

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Image courtesy: UFC