I still think Conor can make a HUGE comeback.
Yes, he got knocked out or possibly gave up while being on the receiving end of a shower of strikes, but I don't think he's totally gone the way of Ronda Rousey. Conor has great standup. He's amazing with speed, timing and distance. Those types of gifts go a long way when it comes to the fight game. I think his ground game is very average, nowhere near "very" good, but that was never his forte. He has a good way of reinventing and adding to his arsenal of weapons. Something which many fighters aren't capable of doing.
I can respect the comments suggesting that fighting will not change his financial circumstances much (especially in the UFC - where he probably still cleans $5-10million per fight). That said, money doesn't last forever and while his various side businesses (Proper 12 etc.) likely gross him a pretty penny, it's hard for a guy that was once dirt poor, and who has now grown to be a world superstar, to go back to anything near what he once had to face in the form of adversity. Even if he never ends up poor, it's not out of the realm of possibility as we see time and time again with many professional athletes. When you spend as if you own a printing press at home, it does dwindle and sometimes disappears all together.
Besides, Conor is genuinely entertaining. He's a character, much like a well-polished forum troll that knows how to drop fire by way of incredibly hilarious commentary, Conor knows how to deliver when & where it counts. Separate from that, he is the BIGGEST star in all MMA. The UFC needs rock stars, it's how the company gathers viewers (pay per view buyers and ESPN+ subscribers). Take him out of the picture and while you can slowly create or buy more stars (Chandler etc), it doesn't do the brand well. I see the UFC as a brand that needs these types of characters BADLY. They literally keep the lights on.
Israel Adesanya, Jon Jones, Khabib, McGregor, Artem Lobov etc, these are the types of names that keep this business afloat. Moreso now than ever, when the UFC expects people to become subscribers to ESPN+ (pay a monthly fee for that alone) and then still pay additional fees per each pay per view event. That's bullshit.
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