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According to UFC President Dana White, Conor McGregor is the biggest star the promotion has ever created, and there's not even a close second when it comes to the money and impact generated by 'The Notorious.' However, White thinks he may have another fighter on the roster that could equal McGregor someday.
In a new interview with GQ Sports, White answered questions from fans submitted over social media. He read:
"'Which fighter on the current roster has the potential to have the same impact on the UFC as Conor McGregor?' Maybe Khamzat Chimaev. We'll see."
Watch Dana White answer fan questions for GQ Sports below:
Khamzat Chimaev was an immediate sensation when he arrived at the UFC in 2020. The Chechen fighter competed three times in just two months, winning all fights with a dominating finish.
A bad bout of COVID-19 almost derailed his career, but after a year away from the sport he returned with another first-round finish of Li Jingliang at UFC 267 in October 2021. A Fight of the Year candidate with Gilbert Burns saw 'Borz' victorious again, and now he sits at No.3 in the welterweight rankings.
In what the UFC undoubtedly hopes will be a star-making performance, Chimaev is set to face Nate Diaz at UFC 279 on September 10. Diaz is one of the biggest draws in the UFC, and his fights against Conor McGregor and Jorge Masvidal have sold millions of pay-per-views. If Chimaev beats Diaz in impressive fashion, it could elevate him to a whole new level of fame and fortune.
Dana White once predicted Cody Garbrandt was going to be the UFC's "next big star"
It's hard to predict what's going to happen in the UFC, even when you're the guy running the organization. Before Dana White suggested Khamzat Chimaev might be a potential successor to Conor McGregor, he predicted that Cody Garbrandt may be the UFC's next big star. In 2017, White went on the Dan Le Batard Show on ESPN and said (via MMA Fighting):
“Our most bankable [future] star? November 4 at Madison Square Garden, this kid who’s the world champion, he’s gonna fight. His name is Cody No Love. Very marketable guy. I think Cody No Love could be the next big star.”
Garbrandt had just won the UFC bantamweight belt of Dominick Cruz in December 2016 and was looking like he could be a star. Unfortunately for Dana White and Cody Garbrandt, he lost his next fight at Madison Square Garden to T.J. Dillashaw, and then a rematch nine months later. Garbrandt is now 1-5 since White's declaration.
Fans can check out the video below on controversial MMA couples:
