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For the most part, the UFC prides itself on being a meritocracy, with fighters climbing to the top of the mountain by winning.
Over the years, though, a handful of fighters appeared to receive preferential treatment from the UFC, without necessarily earning it. Of course, some of them went on to achieve massive success, becoming champions and superstars.
So, it will be interesting to see what happens to the next hand-picked star identified by the promotion. Here, then, are five fighters who appeared to receive preferential treatment from the UFC.
#5. Bo Nickal – UFC middleweight contender
The latest fighter who appears to be receiving preferential treatment from the UFC is middleweight prospect Bo Nickal.
‘The Allen Assassin’ signed with the promotion in 2022 after two wins on Dana White’s Contender Series, but the real hype on him comes from his wrestling background.
In his collegiate days, Nickal was a three-time NCAA Division I National Champion. He only narrowly missed out on representing the US in the 2020 Olympics. Going by credentials, he’s one of the best wrestlers in UFC history.
However, despite beating his first two opponents in the octagon with relative ease, Nickal has still not proven all that much in MMA. There’s nothing wrong with building a prospect up slowly, of course, particularly when they’ve only had five professional fights.
However, recently, fans have been annoyed by the fact that ‘The Allen Assassin’ has been given a showcase slot on the main card of the upcoming blockbuster UFC 300, despite only fighting the unranked and unheralded Cody Brundage.
For fans, Nickal being on the main card ahead of former titleholders like Holly Holm and Jiri Prochazka doesn’t make sense, resulting in accusations of “Dana White privilege”.
Nickal may yet become a champion in the octagon, but right now, it’s difficult not to believe that he’s being given preferential treatment.
#4. Sean O’Malley – UFC bantamweight champion
Right now, Sean O’Malley is riding the crest of a wave. He recently defended his UFC bantamweight title for the first time, avenging his only career loss to Marlon Vera. According to Dana White, he’s positioned to be one of the promotion’s biggest stars and drawing cards.
However, while ‘Sugar’ has seen incredible successes inside the octagon over the last few years, it’s arguable that it has been made possible by the preferential treatment he has received at times.
O’Malley was instantly pegged as a possible star by the promotion following a flashy win on Dana White’s Contender Series, and his octagon debut against Terrion Ware saw him positioned in the co-headliner of a Fight Night.
His next bout also saw him showcased on the main card of a pay-per-view. Even after he was suspended for a positive drug test, his fights continued to be given televised slots upon his return.
Interestingly, O’Malley outright said that he wasn’t necessarily looking to fight top contenders at one stage, instead suggesting that he only wanted such fights when his pay increased.
Nevertheless, White never seemed annoyed, and instead, ‘Sugar’ was allowed to fight lower-level foes before climbing into contention and eventually winning the 135 pound title.
In this instance, the preferential treatment paid off handsomely, and O’Malley is now positioned to make plenty of money for himself and for the UFC, but at points, it was still surprising to see.
#3. Roger Huerta – former UFC lightweight contender
One example of the UFC’s preferential treatment of a fighter coming back to bite them is the story of Roger Huerta, who has long since been forgotten by most fans.
‘El Matador’ signed with the promotion in late 2006 after gaining some hype on the regional scene, and debuted in a thriller, beating Jason Dent in a wild brawl.
Due to his exciting performance, the UFC’s brass decided that Huerta had the potential to be the promotion’s first real Hispanic star and began to push him heavily.
In 2007, Huerta become the first fighter to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. He also fought – and won – five bouts in a row, with each fight being showcased on the main card of an event.
However, only one of these fights, his final one against Clay Guida, came against a ranked opponent, and often, far more credentialed fighters were put on the prelims for Huerta to be showcased. Essentially, it was only his wildly exciting fighting style that prevented a fan backlash.
Unfortunately, all of the promotional push meant that ‘El Matador’ believed he deserved more pay than the UFC were willing to offer him.
After he missed out on a lightweight title shot in a loss to Kenny Florian, Huerta ended up sidelined for over a year before departing the UFC after another loss, this time to Gray Maynard.
‘El Matador’ became the first big signing for Bellator MMA but never regained his form there. By late 2010, he washed out of that promotion too. Essentially, the preferential treatment he received turned out to be all for naught.
#2. Michael Bisping – former UFC middleweight champion
When Michael Bisping won the third season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2006, it was immediately clear that he had star potential.
However, where ‘The Count’ really stood out was the fact that he hailed from the UK. At that point, the only two British stars to really break out in the UFC had been Ian Freeman and Lee Murray. While Freeman was long retired, Murray had his own legal issues to contend with.
Therefore, with the promotion looking to break into the British market, Bisping was instantly pushed as a star and the UK’s new poster boy, despite not really having the fighting credentials to warrant it at that stage.
Fans in the US instantly turned ‘The Count’ into a villain, partially due to what they saw as preferential treatment from Dana White and Co. They believed that Bisping was given softball opponents like Elvis Sinosic and Charles McCarthy and were downright furious when he received a questionable judging decision to beat Matt Hamill in London.
Eventually, of course, ‘The Count’ proved his worth. He began to beat more highly rated foes like Chris Leben, Denis Kang and Yoshihiro Akiyama. By embracing his villainous persona, he became one of the promotion’s more beloved fighters.
By the time he stunned everyone to win the middleweight title in 2016, Bisping was viewed as a living legend of sorts. Nobody batted an eyelid when he was inducted into the UFC’s Hall of Fame in 2019.
Of course, ‘The Count’ had always been viewed that way in his native UK anyway, and in this case, the promotion’s apparent preferential treatment turned out to be valid.
#1. Conor McGregor – former UFC lightweight champion
In all of its three-decade existence, there has never been a UFC star quite as big as Conor McGregor.
The Irishman has not fought in the octagon for nearly three years, but he remains the world’s most talked-about fighter. When he does return, it’s likely that he will draw another ridiculous number on pay-per-view.
However, while ‘The Notorious’ would probably claim that he got to the top of the mountain based on his fighting skills and natural charisma alone, there’s also an argument that the treatment he received from the promotion helped him along the way.
McGregor’s 2013 debut was no different to any other flashy prospect making their first appearance on a preliminary card, but his star potential was easy to see right away.
Naturally, Dana White and company didn’t miss it either and instantly began to push McGregor like few fighters before him. Even though his next fight, against Max Holloway, was positioned on the prelims again, it received more build and hype than most of the bouts on the same event.
When ‘The Notorious’ returned from a year out following a knee injury sustained in that fight, he was instantly handed the headline spot in the promotion’s return to Dublin.
Sure, at that stage, McGregor had largely become the star he had always promised to be, but even then, it was arguable that he received some preferential treatment.
After all, he was given his first title shot off the back of a win over Dennis Siver, who wasn’t a top contender, and was handed a shot at becoming a double champ before even defending his featherweight title once.
Everything worked out for all parties eventually, as McGregor is now one of the world’s most famous – and rich – athletes, while the UFC made millions off his back, too.
Nevertheless, to label ‘The Notorious’ as purely self-made wouldn’t be entirely true.
