Home MMA Watch: Brendan Schaub On Why He Backed Conor McGregor To The Hilt In UFC Dispute


The ex-UFC heavyweight explained to Colin Cowherd of FOX Sports why the UFC should have made concessions to Conor McGregor in the UFC 200 debacle.

After their heated showdown at UFC 196, a rematch was set between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz for the main event of UFC 200 on July 9. It transpired that ‘The Notorious’ refused to carry out promotional duties for the event, and he was subsequently pulled from the card by the UFC as a result.

McGregor’s reasoning for his misdemeanour in an impassioned Facebook post centred on being sick of ‘dancing like a monkey’ for advertising purposes.

UFC 196: McGregor v Diaz

While the Irishman received short shrift from those in the sport, with his latest eight-figure payday a sticking point for those who lack sympathy, he has had some notable supporters, chief among them being Brendan Schaub.

Although he retired from MMA in 2014, Schaub maintains a keen interest in the sport, and speaking on ‘The Herd’, the ‘Fighter and the Kid’ star came to the conclusion that McGregor is simply worth kowtowing to.

“I’m always fighter first. I voice that opinion, which sometimes gets me in trouble but as long as you’re true to yourself, you’re going to be alright. But with Conor, we’ve never had a Conor”, Schaub proclaimed.

“Conor’s talking about fighting Floyd Mayweather for $50 million. Go find another guy who could do that. We don’t have him.”

UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor

Though host Colin Cowherd points out that ceding to McGregor sets an awful precedent, Schaub is of the belief that McGregor’s star power, as evidenced by his earth-shattering retirement tweet, sets him apart from his peers, regardless of whether they make similar requests.

“He’s our pink elephant in a circus full of grey elephants. He’s the pink elephant. You’re going to be able to make some adjustments to that guy.”

“Now I understand he had obligations with the press conference, stuff like that, but he sends out a tweet – his tweet when he retired, was bigger than Kobe Bryant’s retirement tweet. What are we talking about?”

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