The UFC has produced some big stars in recent years but none have been able to reach the incredible heights of Conor McGregor.
As the biggest star in the history of the sport, “The Notorious” puts everyone else’s numbers to shame – but his activity is not what it once was during his rise to the top.
A few names jump out as big stars in the promotion that in the right circumstances, could move up a few places in the pecking order to become real PPV draws for the UFC.
One of those names is bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley who has been on a lot of people’s radars ever since his win on the Contender Series to earn a UFC contract.
O’Malley has always been heavily promoted by the UFC but all of the hype will only continue to draw people in if you have the results to back it up and that’s where “Sugar” has truly shined.
His persona and performances in the Octagon have made him a star but O’Malley has plans to keep building higher and higher with each fight.
Frankie Edgar Says He Isn’t Sure That Anyone Is Pulling In Numbers Close To Conor McGregor
During a recent interview with Mike Pendleton, Frankie Edgar gave his take on the biggest stars in the sport today and whether anyone will ever be able to hold a candle to McGregor’s numbers.
The recently announced Hall of Fame inductee spoke about the potential star quality of O’Malley but also questioned how big of a financial draw he currently is.
Continuing on his win streak will only improve that but Edgar is still not convinced about the current drawing power that is out there.
“His next fight will definitely determine a lot. You gotta win, that’s the thing, you gotta win especially at the right time. Conor was winning and what he said, he was doing. That’s pretty special and he talked the talk but he backed it up at the moment when he had to. If O’Malley can keep doing that and ride that wave then yeah I think he could be a pretty big star. Again, I don’t know though. All these guys say they’re big stars but I don’t know if anybody sells like McGregor. Maybe Diaz, Khabib, guys like that but no one’s really selling and these guys are selling their souls but no numbers.”