Conor McGregor Is Still the Center of UFC's $4 Billion Universe Despite Loss

Conor McGregor bit off more than he could chew in his comeback fight Saturday at UFC 229.

Make no mistake, however: McGregor remains the center of the UFC's multibillion-dollar universe.

Once the dust settles from his fourth-round submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov—and the brawl that spilled out of the cage following the bout at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena—McGregor will likely still be the fight company's brightest promotional light.

In retrospect, it was unreasonable to expect McGregor to return from nearly two years away and go toe-to-toe with Nurmagomedov. The undefeated champion (27-0) was too dominant, suffocating McGregor (21-4) with his grappling and even winning the lion's share of the striking exchanges throughout their 18 minutes together.

We knew all along this was a risky matchup for McGregor. He came in as the slight underdog, according to Odds Shark, and on paper, Nurmagomedov's relentless takedowns and top control appeared to be the krytonite to McGregor's athletic, stand-up-oriented style.

It turned out that way in practice, too.

Yet it was a lift to the sport just to have McGregor back. Fans had last seen him in the Octagon in November 2016, when he became the first fighter to simultaneously hold titles in two different weight classes by defeating Eddie Alvarez for the 155-pound belt at UFC 205.

In the interim, McGregor made nearly $100 million and established himself as a crossover superstar by taking on Floyd Mayweather Jr. in their August 2017 boxing match.

Headed into this bout, UFC President Dana White was forecasting as many as 3 million pay-per-view buys for McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov, per TMZ. Unless his fans desert him in droves following Saturday's tap-out loss via neck crank, his next fight figures to be just as big.

What McGregor will do next is open-ended, of course. With a new six-fight UFC deal in hand, he'll continue to call the shots regarding his career, even in the wake of this loss.

Plenty of good, lucrative options remain for McGregor. The truth is, the lay of the UFC landscape would've looked much the same for him win, lose or draw at UFC 229.

Perhaps the only new option is this one: a rematch with Nurmagomedov.

It's possible that by going over the Octagon fence to attack McGregor teammate Dillon Danis in the stands Saturday, Nurmagomedov only stoked interest in a second fight against the 30-year-old Irishman. After all, the UFC used footage of when McGregor stormed into Brooklyn's Barclays Center and tossed a metal hand truck through the window of a bus containing Nurmagomedov to sell UFC 229.

Now that the bad blood between Team Nurmagomedov and Team McGregor has escalated, are we so naive as to think the UFC won't double down? Yeah, right.

If not Nurmagomedov, then a third fight with Nate Diaz remains viable—especially now that McGregor needs to get back in the win column.

That pair's first two bouts held down the top spots on the list of the UFC's best-selling PPV events before UFC 229. Given that Diaz and McGregor split their previous meetings, conventional wisdom has long dictated they'd stage a rubber match.

Perhaps it makes more sense now than ever.

There has also been open speculation that a superfight between McGregor and former two-division champion Georges St-Pierre might be in the offing.

St-Pierre returned from his own lengthy sabbatical to defeat Michael Bisping for the middleweight title at UFC 217 in November 2017. His comeback was short-lived, however, as St-Pierre relinquished the 185-pound belt just 34 days later and announced he was moving back into semi-retirement because of ulcerative colitis.

If booked, a bout between McGregor and GSP would have the potential to rewrite every financial record in the UFC's ledger. The feasibility, of course, hinges both on the French Canadian superstar's health and McGregor's vacillating interest.

Last week, the Irishman told ESPN's Ariel Helwani he doesn't think a St-Pierre fight will take place right away.

"We'll see what happens, but I don't think [GSP is] next," McGregor said. "He doesn't really have anything for me, personally. I'm not going to shut the door on that down the line."

Instead of St-Pierre, McGregor put forth the notion of fighting 43-year-old former middleweight champ Anderson Silva. That matchup seems too far-fetched to happen, but we learned in lead-up to the Mayweather fight never to doubt the power of McGregor's whims.

Tyron Woodley recently talked of fighting McGregor for the welterweight crown, per TMZ (via Bloody Elbow). Woodley is coming off a quick dismantling of Darren Till at UFC 228. His schedule might sync with McGregor's, and Woodley has long pined for a big-money fight.

But Woodley would be another dangerous matchup for McGregor and might pack less promotional punch than any other realistic option.

If it's another championship McGregor is after, the idea of the UFC's opening a new 165-pound division is one of the most enticing possibilities. There were rumors that the upcoming UFC 230 bout between Dustin Poirier and Diaz would be for the inaugural title in a new weight class.

The UFC has balked at that idea and, indeed, starting a 165-pound division would necessitate a lot reshuffling. It might involve moving the welterweight class up to 175 pounds, which would create numerous logistical headaches for matchmakers.

On the other hand, it might create a viable, exciting division in which UFC lightweights and welterweights could meet in the middle. It might also be McGregor's most natural weight class.

We all have to wait for the UFC to sort its mess with Nurmagomedov before finding out what's next for McGregor.

Whatever it turns out to be, however, you can bet it'll still be the biggest news and the most lucrative night for all involved.