LAS VEGAS, NV - AUGUST 26: Floyd Mayweather Jr. (L) and Conor McGregor shake hands during a news confrence after Mayweather's 10th-round TKO victory in their super welterweight boxing match on August 26, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor is finally over. Mayweather stopped McGregor—as promised—with a TKO in the 10th round to close out his undefeated career with a 50-0 record. But even though Mayweather and McGregor were in the ring, they weren’t the only ones to “win” or “lose” that evening. As conversations turn toward the future, there are a number of winners and losers from the combat sports spectacle that was Mayweather vs. McGregor.
Winner: Floyd Mayweather
Mayweather had his hand raised and took home the “Money Belt” as became the first fighter to reach the 50-0 mark. Even bigger than that, he joined Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods as the only athletes to earn $1 billion in career earnings. Those are accolades that may never be surpassed and give Mayweather a place of reverence in the sport.
To go along with this, Mayweather “made up” for one of the more controversial fights on his resume: the battle against Manny Pacquiao. During the post-fight press conference Mayweather admitted that he owed this to the fans for the Pacquiao fight. While Mayweather isn’t a “hero” of any sorts, he did himself a favor by fighting this style of fight to close out his storied career on a note devoid of controversy and complaint.
Loser: UFC
Now that this fight is over the UFC gets back its biggest star in Conor McGregor. McGregor has grown into a revenue generator that garners at least a million PPV buys any time he steps into the Octagon. His success has benefited his opponents and the organization at the same time. However, his presence shows just how much the organization is struggling to build other stars. McGregor has leveraged his position into bigger opportunities, whether or not those opportunities matched the interests of the UFC.
The question becomes whether or not the UFC is willing to take those same types of risks with more fighters on the roster. While those risks can come with big rewards, the losses can be just as large. It will be hard for the company to top this moment—and moments are what drive revenue in the sports entertainment business. The UFC has struggled to create stars and it’s hard to know exactly how they will answer that problem in the near future.
Winner: Conor McGregor
McGregor was defeated in sound fashion, which was the expectation of many heading into this fight. Even though he took the loss, he could be considered a winner for a number of reasons.
McGregor walked out of the ring having earned the respect of a boxing community that openly mocked him. He took multiple rounds against Mayweather and made him fight in a way that’s well outside his standard style. The official scorecards at the time of the finish were 89-81, 89-82, and 87-83, but many saw it much closer than that. McGregor put himself in a vulnerable position and even though he came out the loser, he strengthened his legacy in a defeat that surely garnered new fans for the Irish champion.
Also, McGregor displayed some skills that he hadn’t in the Octagon. His use of the jab and angles were different than when he faces men in mixed martial arts. It will be interesting to see how those new skills translate into MMA, where fighters are game planning for the McGregor they knew, not the version with the skills he presented against Mayweather. Oh, and not to mention: McGregor’s disclosed salary of $30 million is the largest payout he’s received to date.
Losers: Fights on the UFC Roster
There’s a growing rumble of complaints around the idea of preferential treatment for some fighters within the UFC. McGregor has established himself as a major star for the organization and has benefited from some of those opportunities. While it may seem that he’s created a path toward stardom that others should mimic, that’s a harder demand than most understand. There’s a reason why fighters not named Ronda Rousey, Jon Jones, or McGregor struggle to garner PPV buys and ratings. An inability to do so severely limits bargaining power for those looking for “more” from the UFC.
McGregor’s success has shown just how far a star can push the UFC to bend to his or her will. But his success might have also shown the organization how to limit those looking for growth. It will be interesting to see how fighters push back against the UFC and whether or not they find any success.
Winners: Boxing and MMA
In time we will see whether this bout helped build a bridge between the combat sports of mixed martial arts and boxing. Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin are fighting in the most important boxing match of the year in a few weeks; did this fight create enough intrigue to get MMA fans to tune in? Will boxing enthusiasts tune in the next time McGregor has a UFC match? Even his colleagues Michael Bisping and Georges St. Pierre were given promotional placement moments before the main event. Is that enough to get boxing fans to show interest in that big fight? All of these are questions worth asking and waiting for answers.
Neither boxing nor MMA looked “bad” in any way with this outcome. It’s still too early to say whether fans and revenue will transition between the two, but the stage has been set for crossover appeal. For both sides and the athletes involved, that is an important win.