5 UFC fighters who can be as popular as Conor McGregor

Any organization, even if successful, can always benefit from a range of fitting brand ambassadors who can be sent into the mainstream to reliably bait in as many spectators as possible, maybe converting them into lifelong fans.

Every sport, while also counting on the unity and patriotic element of the game, desires its stars.

People that truly stand out as exceptional performers, exhibit outstanding showmanship and have enough courtesy to make and keep things interesting, maintaining the attention of the fans they worked so hard to congregate.

For this, they work hard and not only on their skills inside the arena but also on the microphone, on their attire, on anything and everything that can transmit a positive message about their sport and why you should pay to watch them in action.

After WME IMG bought the UFC from its original parent company in Zuffa, things have gone a little bizarre in the sense that the company has turned extremely aggressive in terms of generating profit, even compromising legitimacy and fair play of the sport in the process.

Skipping ranks and building fights on the sole basis of popularity was never so obvious before.

Because of such dire consequences of buying a company for more than 4 billion dollars, a lot of people had to leave (including long time play by play commentator, Mike Goldberg) and many fighters were unexpectedly cut.

In these troubling times for the UFC, I would like to propose a few top contenders and champions whose stories deserves as much attention as Conor Mcgregor's and hopefully they'll be able to turn themselves into bigger draws.

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#5 Max Holloway

Although a funny guy outside the octagon, there’s nothing funny about facing Holloway inside it

A lot of fighters believe solely in trash talking to sell a fight (Chael Sonnen), some in a mixture of both trash talking and skill to back it up (Conor Mcgregor) and others don't even have to try to trash talk; their very existence is an embodiment of their attitude inside the octagon (Diaz brothers).

When Max Holloway stepped inside the octagon for the first time at the tender age of 20, it was obvious that he was a very special talent. And soon enough, at just 24 years of age, he was able to capture the Interim Featherweight title by being the first man to stop the former Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis by strikes.

Apart from the accomplishments that pretty much speak for themselves, it is exactly the attitude that Holloway has adopted through his rise to title contention. Letting his work speak for itself, Holloway has made a name for himself as one of the most versatile and well rounded mixed martial artists in the featherweight division.

Hopefully now that he is a champion, the UFC would actually consider his request of UFC Hawaii which could lead him to being a national superstar or at least in the state of Hawaii, not a bad move to make by any means since he has all the ingredients of a successful draw, being honest and funny on the microphone and ferocious inside the octagon.

#4 Amanda Nunes

Amanda Nunes can easily be that new character that people can fall behind

This one should hardly be a surprise. It was a shame that UFC paid almost no attention on Amanda's story and completely sidelined her presence in lieu of the return of Ronda Rousey. While it was understandable and even expected that Rousey would get more attention, to pay no attention to your opponent is to pay him/her no respect and suffice to say, both the UFC and Rousey paid for overlooking Amanda Nunes.

In retrospect, all things happen for a reason and it was simply Amanda's time to shine which she did in a mere 40-odd seconds by demolishing the former champion in dominating fashion.

Apart from this, let's look at the business side of things and the unique marketing opportunity that Nunes presents. She is the first openly gay UFC champion ever and also the first female Brazilian UFC champion.

While her sexuality should be of no concern to us and ideally, we should just concentrate on her as a fighter, the truth is that people want much more than just a generic personality on the screen. They want a character, someone who takes a stand for something and represents a way of living.

Amanda Nunes is the perfect candidate for more investment on UFC's part and will certainly bring in more audiences if given an opportunity.

#3 Yair Rodriguez

BJ Penn certainly felt the heat of those kicks as he shared the octagon with El Pantera

After the recent destruction of a returning BJ penn, Yair Rodriguez managed to build his name off of a fallen legend. Something that is not a bad thing and almost necessary, considering the fate that needed to fall on Penn for assuming that he could still hang with the new generation of fighters.

Before this, Yair headlined a fight night card against an equally flashy Alex Caceres. Rodriguez managed to seize the opportunity and gave us extremely entertaining fights in both cases, proving his mettle for headlining events and living up to the hype.

His flashy kicks, unexpected angles through which he throws his strikes, underrated ground game and the sheer tenacity with which he fights undoubtedly makes for great television.

Rodriguez is a great investment in terms of promotion as his style is very engaging and he resonates well as a fan favorite Mexican. Ultimately, he could gather considerable amount of fans if promoted properly.

#2 Cody Garbrandt

Cody Garbrandt has shown immense promise as an upcoming star

Cody Garbrandt has proved himself to be much more than just a meat head knockout artist as he was assumed by many, including Dominick Cruz.

Following Cody's career, it is obvious that he was always being groomed to not only be a champion but also a fan favourite. After dominating Cruz for almost all 5 rounds, Cody dedicated his win to a child who helped inspire him as he fought leukaemia and managed to survive.

This gesture was not only very heartfelt and honest but extremely straight forward and vulnerable. It did not look contrived much like many other athletes (Chael Sonnen) who sometimes go too far to promote their fights.

Garbrandt also has all the necessary ingredients to make it and make it big, the perfect tattooed up bad boy image, coupled with a genuinely nice personality is a lethal combination, one that can land him many opportunities even outside of fighting.

It is safe to say that it is time the UFC invested in Cody and groomed him even further so he could realize his potential and bring glory to the sport of mixed martial arts.

#1 Khabib Nurmagomedov

Love him or hate him, there’s no way you can ignore his presence on the scene

This is a relatively counter intuitive choice to compare with Mcgregor but the fact remains, we have still seen very little of Khabib.

I say this not because he has not been tested against elite competition which he has (RDA and Michael Johnson) but to say that he has wiped out the division would be a joke.

He needs the elite competition to bring out the best in him and the Tony Ferguson fight would be the perfect test for him. On the other hand, it is not just about fighting when it comes to bringing in the big numbers.

For the American audience, Khabib is the perfect heel as a Russian, orthodox Muslim fighter who stays true to his faith, even going so far as to not train or fight during Ramadan and is quick to snap when his faith is brought in discussion.

As much as it is a pipe dream for now, if Khabib manages to steam roll through Mcgregor as he did through Johnson, he could easily replace McGregor as the international MMA star who represents the sport.

A possibility that I see manifesting with a very high probability, especially given the sheer population of Russia.