As a legendary UFC champion and one of its biggest draws, Georges St-Pierre deeply understands the significance of star power.
Financially, the UFC is thriving more than ever, with a steady presence, record-breaking event attendances, and lucrative broadcasting agreements. Its financial security is unquestionable.
However, this financial success hasn`t prevented a growing sentiment among fans that the product lacks compelling figures at the top. Speaking on the IMPAULSIVE podcast, “GSP” was asked about the UFC`s perceived “star problem” and conceded that efforts are needed to cultivate future main event draws.
“Conor McGregor, I believe, is an anomaly,” St-Pierre stated. He described McGregor`s ability to generate attention (“Love me, hate me, but don’t ignore me”) as extraordinary and difficult to replicate, although he believes it will happen again someday. He acknowledged the presence of other stars like Sean O’Malley (who recently lost), Israel Adesanya (who lost multiple times), and Alex Pereira (also recently defeated), noting these losses are unfortunate for the promotion`s star power.
St-Pierre highlighted McGregor as a primary example of a major UFC star, despite his current inactivity since 2021 and legal troubles that have impacted his public image.
Sean O’Malley, Israel Adesanya, and Alex Pereira, all former champions who broke into the mainstream, have faced recent losses, raising questions about their sustained ability to attract large audiences for the UFC.
According to St-Pierre, these defeats are simply the result of MMA`s inherent unpredictability – a high-wire act where anyone can lose on any given night. He related this to his own upset loss against Matt Serra. While this volatility is precisely what makes MMA so captivating, it also means top names can quickly fall from prominence.
Nevertheless, St-Pierre expressed his desire for this element of unpredictability to remain unchanged. He hopes the UFC will focus on making the biggest, most anticipated fights happen, citing recent missed matchups like Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall and Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria.
“As a businessman, I think the goal of UFC is to make money,” St-Pierre remarked. He noted that while a superstar losing is detrimental financially, the core principle should be champions facing the number one contender. He contrasted this with boxing, where fighters might face less challenging opponents to maintain undefeated records, arguing this mandatory challenging of the top contender is why MMA is so popular.
“The reason why people love mixed martial arts is because when you’re champion, you’re fighting the No. 1 contender and it’s not up to you to choose,” he continued. St-Pierre insisted this principle should not change, stating, “That’s how it was in my time, that’s how it should be now. The champion has nothing to say. You fight who is in front and that’s how it should be. The UFC should take action.”
Wesley Dunham