UFC
Dana White: Conor McGregor bigger than Brock Lesnar, Georges St-Pierre
Sep 29, 2014 - 10:25:28 AM Dana White: Conor McGregor bigger than Brock Lesnar, Georges St-Pierre

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"Conor McGregor is the real deal – he is legit. He is a force that I have never seen ever. Bigger than Brock Lesnar when he was here. Bigger than any of the fighters we've ever had. Yes, [he's bigger than Georges St-Pierre]. I've never seen anything like this."

-Dana White oversells Conor McGregor once again after UFC 178 during the post-show on Fox Sports 1 (via MMAJunkie.com).

Penick's Analysis: This is the type of thing that hurts McGregor more than it helps, and it's just not necessary. There's no need to go so ridiculously hyperbolic with the hype. There's a big reaction to McGregor, no question, but he hasn't headlined a major event yet. He hasn't brought in pay-per-view viewers in droves. Just like it was false and ridiculous to say Ronda Rousey was a bigger star than Lesnar or GSP. It seems they can't stand to admit what Lesnar meant to the business as a star, and he's being completely ridiculous in regards to GSP. McGregor is not a bigger star than Lesnar or GSP. Could he develop into that? Maybe. If he captures the title and starts bringing in 750K buys and higher on a consistent basis, White can throw something out on those lines, but he's still a very far way away from being able to claim that status, and there's just no need to make it seem otherwise. Saying it over and over again isn't going to make it true.

[Dana White art by Travis Beaven (c) MMATorch.com]