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Conor McGregor has been in legal trouble once again, but that doesn't mean that Dana White or the UFC stops planning fights for him. In the eyes of the UFC, Conor McGregor is still their biggest star, and the biggest box office draw in the history of the sport.
Dana White spoke to SportsCenter recently, and when asked about any potential plans for Conor McGregor, the UFC president said he has "fun stuff" planned and expects an early 2021 return:
It's a bit surprising that Dana White was this quick to make a statement about Conor McGregor fighting again. While he seemingly distanced himself from Conor McGregor's legal issues at the post-fight press conference this past week, it's a clear indicator that UFC is always looking for another opponent for Conor McGregor.
Conor McGregor last fought in late January 2020 at UFC 246 - where he made his return after 15 months. Conor McGregor would defeat Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in just 40 seconds. While he stated that he was getting ready for a "fight season," the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to change a lot of things.
Is it worth bringing Conor McGregor back for an empty arena show?
UFC, like every other major sports organization, will be operating behind closed doors without an audience. Losing millions of dollars in live gates, UFC has to go forward regardless.
This is where the big dilemma comes in. Is it worth bringing back Conor McGregor - who brings in millions of dollars in live gate revenue alone - to fight in an empty arena?
While one could argue that UFC will make money from pay-per-view sales alone (and they certainly will), there might be a slight sense of hesitation over bringing him back while taking a cut in the potential revenue.
With that said, there is no guarantee that we will see the return of live crowds in early 2021 either.
