SteemSports Presenter:
SteemSports Editor:
What is in store for the lineal lightweight champion? The man who vacated a division to succeed in another above his has seemed to vanish from the sport altogether. Has money, fame, and opportunity elsewhere pulled the Irishman from the spirit that got him to where he is today?
Many questions loom in on the UFC and their decisions on their supreme cash cow. At the end of the day Conor sells tickets, and that is the sole intention of any sports organzation, but what happens when a fighter creates a level of hypocrisy and weariness amongst fans?
People are tired of waiting to see the lightweight king fight, and if he can not fight, he must give up the title he earned last year. Being a champion is more than earning a title, it is defending that title and proving worth over years...even decades. Conor will be an all time great, but not if he keeps strolling down his current path.
A single win over a top 5 contender in Eddie Alvarez earned Conor the belt, but far murkier challenges await at 155 pounds. Rising stars such as Khabib Nurmagomedov and the current interim champion Tony Ferguson are both waiting with sharpened claws to dig into the current champ, but even they are becoming tired of the wait...
It seems as though most fighters are chasing Conor as opposed to looking up to him...although most still do. He is an awe inspiring figure who brought combat sports to the limelight, in fact the UFC stays lowly relevant to its niche fans whenever Conor doesn't have a main event coming up.
Can the UFC and Dana White survive without this cash cow they bred these past few years, or is there a fear of uncertainty and doubt that he will never return..and that maybe nobody will ever surpass his impact or fame? The UFC has no mega stars at the moment, and Conor resurfacing would be the ideal for 2018...fans can only wait for the return of the king!
