Within the UFC bubble, there are a handful of fighters who could claim to be mainstream stars – with Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar being a few examples.
The only issue there is that McGregor, who just lost to Dustin Poirier for the second time and broke his leg in the process, is the only active one out of the three. You could even suggest Khabib Nurmagomedov is on a similar level but “The Eagle” has made it crystal clear that he doesn’t plan on breaking his retirement anytime soon.
Therefore, it’s down to the UFC to really push forward and form some new megastars for the future.
Israel Adesanya
In truth, Israel Adesanya should probably already be heading towards the same level as Conor McGregor, but for whatever reason, he isn’t.
The good news for “The Last Stylebender” is that he’s still relatively young, he has a huge rematch against Robert Whittaker ahead of him, and he’s arguably the most exciting fighter in the UFC today.
Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier is one of the nicest fighters of his generation but that doesn’t mean he can’t throw down. “The Diamond” has just beaten Conor McGregor twice in the space of six months, he’s on the verge of a title shot, he has a great look and he’s a company man. What’s not to love?
Sean O’Malley
There’s being marketable and then there’s Sean O’Malley.
“Suga” isn’t just an unbelievably fun guy to watch, but he’s also growing in popularity with each and every passing day. He’s got nearly two million Instagram followers, he gets one of the biggest pops whenever he fights, and he seems to be the main man for this new breed of fans that is beginning to emerge within the sport.
Rose Namajunas
“Thug Rose” has been through her fair share of ups and downs but between beating Joanna twice and knocking out Zhang Weili, it’s hard to picture anything other than Namajunas being a star for many years to come.
It all comes down to how the UFC gets her name out there which, unfortunately, isn’t something they’re always great at.
Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou has finally been able to ascend to the top of the mountain as the UFC heavyweight champion after years of waiting for his crowning moment. The next step in his journey will be to prove that he can successfully defend it, which should lead him down the path of a superfight against Jon Jones.
At that point, the sky’s the limit.
Featured image credit: Getty
