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It’s been a while since we’ve seen Conor McGregor in the Octagon but he still brings plenty of attention to the UFC and the sport of MMA.
Although that might be the case, former UFC veteran Chael Sonnen thinks McGregor’s crown of being the top draw might be coming to an end soon.
During a guest appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Sonnen hyped up Israel Adesanya as one of the most exciting things to happen at UFC 290.
For that reason, Chael Sonnen went on to explain that he thinks Israel Adesanya could take over Conor McGregor’s place at the top of the hill.
When the middleweight champion took the stage to confront challenger Dricus Du Plessis, Sonnen felt Adesanya stole the show.
“I’m looking at Adesanya here, man — there were some things that happened Saturday that I’ve never seen in television before, not just I’ve never seen in sport. I thought Adesanya was the star of the show. I don’t think that program [UFC 290], of which I really enjoyed, I don’t think that program is the same in my mind or in history without Adesanya’s appearance, and he didn’t throw a single punch. I think that is fascinating.”
That’s a bold statement in itself considering UFC 290 may have been the best card of the year.
But Izzy’s presence was felt and Sonnen compared “his aura” to MMA legends Wanderlei Silva and Royce Gracie. After that, Chael claimed that Conor McGregor should be watching Israel Adesanya’s next fight closely, per The MMA Hour.
“I’ve never seen somebody like Adesanya, and I’d only say that a couple of other times. I was in the room when Wanderlei Silva walked in and there was like a glow around him. That happened to me one other time in this sport, it was the first time I ever saw Royce Gracie, and there was like this aura. I’m bringing this to because there’s a different game being played here by Izzy. And you want to know who should be watching this? It’s not [Dricus] Du Plessis. It’s not the rest of the division. It’s Conor McGregor.”
Sonnen continued by comparing Adesanya’s presence at UFC 290 to when McGregor arrived to Bare-Knuckle FC event. All of the attention was on the star, the top draw.
Simply put, he believes that anytime Adesanya or McGregor are involved, they have the ability to steal the show. He explains it in further detail while talking with Ariel Helwani.
“But what Adesanya did, that show is not the same [without him]. I was at a bare-knuckle show about two months ago and Conor McGregor showed up, and it was a massive deal from a perspective of entertainment. From having something to look forward to that you weren’t promised and wasn’t on the marquee, the presence of Conor was greatly felt, and it was discussed in the media long after. So that’s why I bring the example of Conor and Adesanya, because now I’m seeing that Izzy can play that same game, and he can play it very powerfully.”
There is no question that Adesanya is great and that he draws a crowd. However, nobody in MMA is even close to McGregor.
Maybe in a few years the middleweight champion can takeover that crown, but as of now it’s hard to imagine McGregor’s popularity falls off.
For that reason, fight fans just couldn’t get on board with Chael Sonnen’s take.
If we are being honest, nobody is remotely close to Conor as a draw as mma currently stands.
— tear (@killtyre13) July 12, 2023
Some people think Sonnen is just talking nonsense.
Chael says a lot and most isn’t true, like this
— Still Just a Ghost (@509KingofKingx2) July 12, 2023
McGregor is a legend on the mic. He’s tough to go up against in that aspect.
Izzy is way too cringe on the mic to ever be Conor
— black (@black666_____) July 12, 2023
Conor McGregor probably isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Love or hate McGregor, no one is topping his stardom
— LF (@LFBenfiquista) July 12, 2023
Regardless, there is already plenty of interest with Israel Adesanya’s next fight as there is clearly some bad blood between him and Dricus Du Plessis.
Meanwhile, the UFC world waits to see if Conor McGregor actually steps back into the Octagon.
Either way, both fighters are generating more buzz than most of the roster in the UFC, which is impressive no matter how you look at it.