UFC Strawweight and former Invicta Atomweight Champion “The Karate Hottie” Michelle Waterson is concerned others will copy Conor McGregor’s backstage antics if nothing happens to him.
McGregor made headlines inside and outside of the MMA media after he and his teammates attacked a bus full of UFC fighters right before UFC 223. The attack resulted in four fighters being scratched from the card.
Waterson told UFC on Fox 29 (quoted from MMA Fighting):
What concerns me is if nothing happens to him [McGregor] so that he does change his ways, that a lot of the fighters will assume that that’s what they have to do in order to gain popularity, in order to gain fame, in order to gain financial stability. And I’m sure a lot of the fighters will have no problem reverting to those ways.
Michelle’s may have a reason to worry. Despite calling McGregor’s actions “disgusting”, UFC President Dana White already seems to have changed his tune on the former Lightweight Champion. During the UFC 223 post-fight press conference, White said:
We talked, it’s good. I think that there’s a mutual respect between us and obviously this week, I had so many things thrown at me. To focus on this show was insane. We’ll get back and we’ll focus on Conor McGregor.
He later said:
At the end of the day, there’s a lot worse that goes on in all the other sports, so I’ll take a dolly through a window any day.
Dana may be trying to patch things up with Conor McGregor for a good reason. The UFC is suffering from a lack of star power. Ronda Rousey is gone, and GSP probably isn’t going to make a second triumphant return. Anderson Silva is in his forties and having issues with PED’s. Jon Jones is still in his prime, but is also in trouble for prohibited substances. Who else can possibly bring in the money besides Conor McGregor?
However, Waterson has a point: compared to other professional athletes, mixed martial artists are not paid well. If they think that Conor McGregor’s wild antics will help make them the millionaires that Conor is, why wouldn’t they try to copy his backstage violence?
Furthermore, mixed martial arts has often been portrayed as a savage sport. Senator John McCain once described MMA as “human **** fighting” and there are no doubt plenty of groups who would like to see it banned.
Conor’s antics and Dana’s downplaying of them will only add fuel to the fire of MMA’s opponents.
Dana would therefore be wise to disassociate himself from Conor and hand down some type of punishment.
Then again, the law will probably do that for him.
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