‘A completely irrelevant fight’: Matt Brown reacts to Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler possibly headlining UFC White House

Conor McGregor appears supremely assured that his first struggle again in 5 years goes to happen on the UFC White Home card with plans to lastly settle some unfinished enterprise in opposition to Michael Chandler.

Whereas the precise matchmaking for the occasion isn’t supposed to begin till subsequent 12 months, UFC CEO Dana White has said publicly that he believes McGregor is critical about preventing once more, particularly with the prospect to headline one of many largest playing cards of all time. However is McGregor vs. Chandler actually the struggle to make for the highest spot on such a historic, once-in-a-lifetime occasion?

UFC legend Matt Brown admits he wouldn’t be stunned by any means to see it occur.

“I suppose the factor with Conor is it going to attract the curiosity that we predict it will?” Brown mentioned on the newest episode of The Fighter vs. The Author. “We might all discuss it him preventing however Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor is a totally irrelevant struggle. Proper? There’s no relevance by any means. Does nothing apart from I suppose promote tickets perhaps?”

Relating to potential title fights and even high 10 rankings, it’s robust to argue in opposition to Brown’s logic contemplating McGregor and Chandler have a mixed 3-7 report over their previous 10 fights. A type of wins got here from McGregor when he beat Eddie Alvarez to change into a two-division UFC champion practically a decade in the past as a result of his lengthy intervals of inactivity.

In the meantime, Jon Jones has said that he additionally needs to headline the identical card, however White has been hesitant to decide to that chance because of the former UFC heavyweight champion’s historical past the place he’s pressured quite a few playing cards and fights to get modified or cancelled. From arrests to accidents and even last-minute opponent modifications, Jones has positively induced loads of chaos throughout his profession.

That mentioned, Brown is aware of Jones returning and probably preventing somebody like present UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall can be monumental and much more significant than McGregor making his return. However it might not matter to the UFC if the promotion is searching for to make one of the crucial watched playing cards of all-time.

“Jon Jones brings lots to the desk,” Brown mentioned. “The GOAT, and he’d be preventing for a title, I’m positive, in opposition to Tom Aspinall. Assuming that Aspinall beats Ciryl Gane, too. This struggle hasn’t occurred but. That might be a sport changer, too.

“If you’d like an American, you’ve bought to go along with Jon Jones. There’s nobody else that I can consider that will be legit sufficient. However when you’re going the Conor McGregor route, you’re speaking about form of kind of irrelevant fights, you’re going to usher in Ronda Rousey, now you’ve bought two irrelevant fights. You’re actually simply promoting due to star energy. For us hardcore followers, long-term, hardcore critical followers, that doesn’t convey any curiosity to me in any respect. Now Jon Jones preventing, notably Tom Aspinall assuming he goes out and beats [Ciryl] Gane, that’s fascinating.”

Given the eye already being paid to the UFC going to the White Home for a struggle card, Brown expects that the group goes to decide on the spectacle, which could truly result in McGregor making his return for the historic occasion.

“Being that it’s in all probability a as soon as in a lifetime factor that may ever occur, they’re in all probability going to go the spectacle route,” Brown mentioned. “They need it to be the most important, most memorable card in historical past, and I believe that I’m OK with that.

“The truth that Conor bought the UFC to the place it’s. You’ve bought to provide respect the place it’s due. Once more, for us, it’s not going to excite me. I don’t care to observe Conor and Chandler struggle. It’s not that nice to me actually.”

McGregor and Chandler preventing doubtless holds no weight on the subject of rankings or title implications, particularly in the event that they meet at welterweight, which was the plan once they have been beforehand scheduled to conflict.

In the end, the winner and loser are in all probability in the identical place earlier than and after the struggle, however Brown doesn’t purchase that the UFC actually cares a lot about that enjoying an element in matchmaking for the White Home card.

Brown is aware of the UFC needs to enchantment to the most important viewers potential, and prefer it or not, McGregor vs. Chandler provides that form of enchantment and the aftermath in all probability doesn’t matter.

“Do they care if we discuss it Monday in the event that they get 20 million viewers or 10 million or no matter loopy variety of viewers?” Brown argued. “Do they actually care if we discuss it Monday?

“What they care about is the development employee goes to Monday to speak to his buddies about it. Not us that discuss in regards to the sport, not that we discuss it, they don’t give a f*ck about us.”

For all of the complaints about McGregor getting back from a five-year lengthy absence and headlining a card as enormous because the one deliberate on the White Home, Brown understands why the UFC is .

McGregor stays the most important star within the historical past of the game and placing him in the principle occasion on the White Home attracts eyeballs. Nothing else in all probability compares so Brown can’t precisely complain on the subject of the UFC’s choice on this example.

“If I’m Dana, I do the identical factor,” Brown mentioned. “It’s form of a choose ‘em struggle so it makes it slightly bit fascinating on that half. All of the People can get behind Chandler and Conor will love that. So that may go a good distance with the media and the press and every thing.

“By way of spectacle, it’s bought all of the makings of that, however once more only for us, we’re not going to care. We’re simply not going to care. Hopefully there’s a great undercard that makes us care.”