Who Is The UFC’s Next Major Star?

The lads get into a discussion about who could potentially fill Conor McGregors massive boots as the next UFC unicorn. We're not sure if anyone can, however, we do think there are some clear stars on the roster that are capturing people's attention.
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#ufc #mma #mcgregorchandler #ufc303 #conormcgregor #alexpereira #MaxHolloway #islammakhachev #seanomalley

[@BeastFueled]

The guy on the right looks like if Aspinall was a pro Fortnite player

[@CoolToMe_]

Thank you and I wish I was

[@Akuma-ti7wi]

@@DrSpaceman69bantamweight*

[@williammunns4084]

O’Malley talks like a socially awkward middle Schooler

[@quinteneverett3803]

Least he fights good

[@beaualIoevv]

what’s your professional mma record? mcdonald’s resume doesn’t count. you’re like Ian Garry but Layla is a male

[@Justin-jg2hi]

@@beaualIoevvso you have to have a professional MMA record to have an opinion on someone’s personality?

[@bigdoge6602]

@@Justin-jg2hidudes undefeated in the octagon

[@casillasscorer]

@@beaualIoevvI’m undefeated in the ufc, Sean has a TKO loss. Who’s better?

[@DoubleDOwnage]

It's Alex Pereira. As the biggest Alex Pereira hater upon his entry into the UFC and even post the Israel fights. This guy has eaten and swallowed every single opponent's stock and fanbase. He is mythical, he is intimidating, he is kind, he is generous and he has his ear to the street and has the pulse of the internet. Alex Pereira is the biggest star and is only getting bigger. Jon Jones called out Alex Pereira and is actively promoting that fight. Who is calling out Islam or O'Malley of any renown?

[@justinli4567]

Agree... A Brazilian from a native tribe, where they call him "hands of stone" is just misterious, and scary! People love this shit!

[@DoubleDOwnage]

@@justinli4567 he hits on so many different style/x-factors -stand up specialist -KO power -highlight reel knockouts -mysterious -intimidating -kind giant -looks like a brick shithouse -internet meme lord -has a sense of humour -active fighter -willing to fight at multiple divisions -2 division Champion I could go on and on. I respect the hustle more than anything.

[@randomblur9110]

But his age tho. I see him fighting for only 2 more years before retiring.

[@joelatkinson2037]

Lol i was just telling my bro in law, idk why people are so obsessed with pereira, he’s cool and all but I don’t see the big draw. He’s fighting light heavyweight which is a dangerous division but not the deepest in terms of talent

[@jonathansalvador5037]

@@joelatkinson2037It’s because you could sit a non-MMA fan in front of the TV, tell them “that guy with the thousand-yard-stare will knock the other guy dead with a left hook” and have a very good chance of being right. Like Ronda with the arm bar and McGregor with the straight left, Pereira’s elevated a specific technique to mythical status.

[@AuleileiMMA]

Max has always been loved by the hardcore fans, I think he's finally growing on the casual fan base after UFC300.

[@MMAproAtGOLF]

Max is a casual fighters fighter tho. Tf

[@thismonkeyjustworks1255]

Sean ain’t that guy. There was a history with Chito, who is especially big with Spanish speaking people, and the card was stacked with Dustin, Holland, MVP’s debut, JDM vs burns, and Yan. 299 was massive because of everything else, not Sean by himself

[@ChristianDiggy]

Guy in the blue looks like Tom Aspinalls little brother 😂

[@specialwire123]

yes, his anorexic brother

[@JimmySaint43]

That's Luke Taylor, he's the editor. He really does look like Tom before he got the super serum lmao 🤣

[@dangermouse9348]

O'Malley didn't sell that card, the huge line up on the rest of the card sold it. If the UFC is so confident he's worthy of big numbers, give him an average card to sell. You could stick Conor on pretty much any card and it would do huge numbers.

[@drummaking3]

There is no smooth talker like Chael or Conor. O'Malley or Poatan are cool, but no one is standing out as the next mega star.

[@DoubleDOwnage]

O'Malley isn't cool.

[@williamdotson1548]

This is facts, ufc fans appreciate the fighters and the cool personalities we currently have, but you no ones gonna stand out and be a megastar like mcgregor. Gotta have the right mic skills and the skills in the octagon

[@hellogoodbye1748]

@@DoubleDOwnageas a fighter he absolutely is

[@117Awesome]

@@williamdotson1548there won’t be another McGregor, way too many guys are trying to be like McGregor. If Max keeps putting on performances like 300 he’ll get close to that level.

[@Man_Ray78]

O'Malley needs to stop talking and imitating others. It's embarrassing. Pereira is perfect, but does not have that many years left.

[@b.a.l.l.sluxlr]

Holloway has been a star, except the casuals are starting to love him now because he just KO’d Gaethje when he: Finished Aldo for the belt Defended the belt multiple times Schooled Kattar Banger with Yair Dominated everyone who has tried to ascend to the throne except for Volk

[@cappy2282]

Ya casuals are the worst, I always been a big fan of Tex Holloway. When Tex beat Conor Aldo for the welterweight belt I was so pumped

[@b.a.l.l.sluxlr]

@@cappy2282 I might not be the biggest know it all fan of Holloway, but listen I know enough to know I didn’t hop on the bandwagon when he KO’d Gaethje I said in fact he could beat Gaethje if he used his speed and volume to get the win over Gaethje and then he was convincingly beating Justin and beat him by KO

[@cappy2282]

@@b.a.l.l.sluxlr Ya I agree with you, I'm just joking. People do jump on the bandwagon when people win. I was one of the guys who thought Gaethje was going to destroy Max 😂

[@Nick_Tank]

Facts!!!!!! Max BEEN HIM. Y’all just forgot because of the wars he’s been in

[@b.a.l.l.sluxlr]

@@cappy2282 no your good at least your being honest about it

[@ys-bo5zt]

Topuria losing any momentum he’s building up once max disposes of him

[@Deltaaaaaaaaa]

His momentum came to a halt when he instantly started ducking the top 3 guys in his division and then shit himself in front of the world after Max beat up Gaethje

[@matthewhein9012]

Was going to say it can’t be Topuria because max is about to go put him back in his place.

[@alexphetsomphou173]

@@Deltaaaaaaaaailia is just getting started. They’re going to Spain, which has been an untapped market for the company, solely to promote ilia. His fight with max will be massive. Not to mention he is highly skilled and well rounded. Quit hating and give credit where credit is due.

[@ys-bo5zt]

@@alexphetsomphou173 there’s no hate lol giving my opinion. When max beats him the hype train comes to a complete stop. If he beats max then you right

[@alexincobra7379]

Max Holloway has far more fand than O'Malley and Tiporia. He has transnational fans from Asia, Latin America and the US. You were just comparing Max's Apex fights. That is not fair because most your fans can't get into the Apex.

[@David-hj6en]

I think thats just with MMA Fans in general. Casual fan base is what really shows stardom. Max is massive but he also isnt getting that coverage I thought he would after that KO

[@alexincobra7379]

​​@@David-hj6enI am not sure where are you are getting your perspective. I live in the US. The USA has a population over 300 million people. There are a large demographic of Mexican Americans that know about Max Holloway Mexicans love to watch boxing and soccer, not many are UFC fans, but they do pay attention to good fighters that leave a mark. Max is not known for disrespectful comments of other fighters or getting in trouble outside the octagon. Many of my Mexican friends know who Max Holloway is and like his fighting spirit. He us from Hawaii, but most fans in the US like Max Holloway, despite him coming from remote islands. You need to look at everything from the UK perspective. The UK is not that big, and may not care about what people in the Pacific or Mexico think.

[@David-hj6en]

@@alexincobra7379 Still though. Max is a big star but still nowhere near the Conor / Ronda level. hes peaking in his career and still doesnt reach that same level. I dont think you really understood what I meant. Also you know so little people it doesnt matter how many you know that heard of Max

[@alexincobra7379]

​@@David-hj6enI never said bigger than Conor. I specifically said more than O'Malley and Tiporia. Ronda Rousy was a star but not on the level of Max. Nobody hates or dislike Max. He doesn't give you a reason to dislike him. I hated Rousy at the time and was happy when she lost, because she was nasty and rude to other people. Most of MMA fans I knew didn't like her either, especially the women fans.

[@pluto1637]

@@alexincobra7379a star isn’t just who likes you more, it’s whoever gets more eyes on the product. Holloway has never sold as much as rousey and although he’s been getting bigger and bigger after the Justin knockout, he isn’t a megastar

[@kungpowking1606]

Holloway has always been popular, but his last performance against Gaethje just put him on a completely new level of stardom. If Conor vs Holloway happens this year, it could end up being the UFC’s most sold PPV of all time.

[@billsmafia7769]

Not Ilia he’s just as bad and as corny as Sean on the mic

[@tenacminotauro9541]

That's a terrible comparison. English is Ilia's second language, Sean only speaks English. Check out some of Ilia's interviews in Spanish.

[@Dippa666]

​@@tenacminotauro9541he was literally just copying McGregor at the volk faceoff. That's corny regardless of your native language. He even has McGregors back tattoo.

[@Sheeiitz]

Tbh Ilias and Makachevs trash talk are way better than any other champion right now.

[@quadclaw]

O'Malley is a star. A chocolate starfish 😊

[@extremehunter11]

With hotdog flavored water

[@usedfuzzbox]

It Aint O'Malley.......FFS

[@jackdaniels2905]

That 20 something demo, UFC is working with him. Seems so forced

[@qjames0077]

O'Malley might be a super star if he learns how to speak in front of a crowd

[@Demman01]

Adesanya has consistently been the biggest PPV star outside of McGregor the last 4 years, he’s sold 800k vs Jan, 700k vs Costa, 700k vs Pereira 1 650k vs Pereira 2 600k vs Vetorri 2 600k vs Wittaker 2 Name a fighter who has been this consistent in a 4 year span (outside of McGregor) Pereira is an exciting fighter but he doesn’t sell ppvs, neither does O’Malley

[@Sanfordtime]

Was looking for this but everyone hates on him now

[@twomp5613]

@@Sanfordtime real shame

[@RaaagePoop]

I’m an Izzy fan but I personally thought it was weak he didn’t want a rubber match with Alex after the KO. Like dudes still up 3-1 on you and at best you’re even in MMA. Now he’s talking about not fighting until like 2027 or some shit? Great fighter, great personality but he really is his own worst enemy at times

[@sphericalcow6014]

Pereira doesn't sell ppv? When you have him twice on that very list? Plus ufc 300!

[@Demman01]

@@sphericalcow6014 UFC 300 doesn’t count lol, that card was gonna sell regardless of who headlined it, Aljo could’ve headlined that card and it would’ve sold regardless. You can argue that he only sold against Izzy because people were tired of Izzy and was just happy someone who has a chance of beating him is fighting him. He headlined HFC 295 against Prochazka and that event sold less than 500k

[@connorfrost195]

Surprised Aspinall wasn't mentioned as a potential major star. He's a finishing machine and a likeable guy. He also has the backing of the UK audience. His main barrier to being a major star is that the heavyweight division is a mess.

[@jedbes7113]

If they do jones v pereira after stipe, tom could just go for another title defence on interim and boost his likability to the point where people will start saying he earned it even if Jon walks after said pereira fight

[@David-hj6en]

I dont see him ever getting Conor / Ronda level of fame though. Hes big in the UK though just not so much outside of it

[@starseeddeluxe]

I think Tom Aspinall is the biggest star, by far. I see him surpassing every other fighter. He has to keep winning. But if he beats Blaydes, and does it in a convincing way, the noise surrounding him vs. Jon Jones for the title, is going to be so loud and the fans are going to become ravenous. Tom holds the record out of 500+ people on the UFC roster right now, for the fastest fights.

[@brickmoss3480]

Adding 2-3 second images of who you're talking about in-between cuts would make this format perfect.

[@mattyctill]

No conversation needed.......it's Chris Barnett!

[@jermainebooker277]

Feels like all these guys except Alex need 1 more big win to break through to the superstar level

[@hx619]

I remember Khamzat was one of the most hyped prospects ever but after that weight miss/inactivity he hasn't lived up to expectations. If he beats Whittaker and wins the belt I can see him being a huge star for sure

[@brandonmusic9712]

Baylien (apologies for misspelling) looks like a famous boy wizard, who decided to go against the family business, tossing the magic stick for a small wooden bat, and is actively growing out his first playoff beard.

[@DrSpaceman69]

That's weirdly accurate

[@bobbobby6123]

Id pay to see Holloway spar

[@noahdebruijn6374]

Jason dominates these chats waits for everyone to talk and then drops absolute knowledge

[@CidicVicious]

I'm a super long time fan and never fall victim to nostalgia. I enjoy seeing the newer fighters and their upgrades.

[@joelatkinson2037]

I completely disagree with their Max Holloway take, prior to UFC 300 he was already blockbuster

[@dylanfeltz5587]

It's annoying to think that in oder for O'Malley and Topuria to become McGregor level stars, they have keep the belt for "3 years." McGregor never defended a belt in the ufc.

[@brandonmusic9712]

Luke Taylor looks like Tom Aspinall before the super soldier serum.

[@912dgm]

I want pierra vs jones asap. The hell with jones vs stipe.

[@exclamation4123]

I don't think you guys have done a video titled "when trash talk goes right" yet which is crazy!

[@hi_tech_reptiles]

Conor was the perfect person, at the perfect time, managed to do the perfect stuff, even the losses etc. I dont think we ever see anything like that again, nor anything close really - the latter because MMA is so much bigger now. ONE takes a huge part of the international stars too, UFC has many smaller stars instead, etc. And to be clear im not a Conor fan really either lol.

[@ARMY-ep6fz]

Max! Lets match Max vs ilia and winner vs O'Malley! Selfishly i want Max to be the last one standing.

[@Scamp2x]

The ufc is in a weird spot. All major sports leagues have superstars, and it kind of seems like this was all by design

[@ImNotYourEnemy]

It's called entertainment. Everything is by design. WWE IN 8K

[@butterbean2257]

I mean I think the ufc is kinda in the same spot as the nba rn. NBA definitely has “superstars” but lebron, kd, Steph, etc. are all nearing the end and they are figuring out who the face of the league is now.

[@Legend-bt8qt]

2:34 luke said it to a T' , im an Izzy fan boy, and i will always be, but since 287 the way he carries hinself even after the jiri call out i really think hes one of the biggest stars in the industry and a must see fighter

[@Jordash45]

Is there a problem with a weight class champion winning the BMF title as well? Does it then get stuck on a weight class and then basically just becomes the champ for the weight class. I feel like it would become redundant.

[@benjaminfeatherstone5950]

Being from the UK and only 30 mins from Birmingham I was happy for Leon Edwards and even more so after is 3rd usman fight I'm rooting for the home team

[@john-michaeljardin6396]

What I like is I've know Max is this badass before 300 he's always been one of my favourites

[@haerfgvbag7050]

I’m ready for O’Malley to disappear from the public consciousness. Exclusively because of his hair Lmao

[@victorcharles27]

Yes me too🙄

[@YoYoLogo]

bro who cares about his hair he’s a good fighter=i watch

[@harryfoster9184]

Gay

[@troubleman9822]

Its Belal Mohamed

[@diplamatikjuan3595]

You remembered his name! But not how to spell it lol

[@Jambajuice89]

Is this show filmed in America or the UK?

[@wuspoppinmayne4364]

O'Malley's is so bad on the mic. But he does shit can people 🤷

[@goochasbruh]

Payton Talbot. Save this.

[@AL_1547]

No one is there right now, but Max and Sean probably are the most well suited to be it. Max is already a legend, but he needs the 145 belt to truly be THE star. The fanbase is already there since he’s been around so long. Sean has the flamboyant personality and the belt to back it up. If he dispatches Merab anywhere close to as easily as he destroyed Chito, he’s going to be hard to ignore. Especially if he bumps up and has success at 145 too. The guy’s fights are exciting and usually end in a big way. I still don’t know how Chito ate that knee. Oh and Ilia demanding the BMF belt being on the line to fight Max is absurd. Dude acts like he has cleaned out the division and didn’t just leapfrog everyone because Volk actually had beaten every other top contender.

[@Crazymire]

I think its topuria. The way spain and georgia celebrated him vs volk as well as his antics behind the scenes

[@johnes]

I started watching MMA January 2020. As I look back on UFC stars, there were names I knew over the years without ever seeing them fight. Chuck, Tito, and Anderson. I knew of Conor’s name in 2020 but that’s it. I don’t follow any other sports. So I wonder if I was not a fan right now, would Conor still be the only name that I would recognize? Or would I at least be aware of the names of Suga, Tropicana, and Alex P.

[@MickeyOphelan]

If O’Malley was quick and witty on the mic and actually talked shit that wasn’t 7th grade insults he would be the biggest by far

[@yvngstrwhat]

I wasn't there so I could be wrong but on the O'Malley vs. Vera broadcast I saw a lot of Ecuadorian fans who were there for Marlon Vera.

[@galacticmaui2]

Interested to see how Max numbers do next fight.

[@jackdaniels2905]

Max is amazing to watch fight and he always says something so positive and heartwarming.

[@trystinlindsay5674]

It’s Alex and it’s not particularly. he has the fighting style people like, knock out power, and unlike Sugar Sean he doesn’t look like a SoundCloud rapper.

[@OjDidntDewIt]

I feel like it’s a lot like streamers where people pop up then kinda burn out. Oliveria was insanely followed and was hyped up after his run with his title. Sean Strickland with his fights with Izzy and Alex. They just pop and then die off cause it’s hard to be a star if you lose to someone with traction

[@carlpepin1]

It's either Max Holloway or Pereira

[@gelinosuurbach3814]

Tom aspinall will be the goat, no doubts

[@constipatedsheep6864]

Damn sure ain't gonna be topuria. So hard to take him seriously. Probably gonna be Max/Tom

[@terryhons1895]

It might be a strange pick but if he wins the title and continues with the fun content, I see Merab becoming huge

[@eunolee4055]

O’Malley can be an all time heel only bc TKO/UFC is relentless about trying to shove him down our throats. Only way Sean defends the belt for 3 years is he makes Chito a trilogy and sits on it while Cory, Umar, Merab and Yan all kill each other

[@JuanRivera-cj9wq]

Dustin after he finally gets the gold he deserves!!!

[@codyconnell6510]

Max was the man when he had the belt, then he thought of as the second best guy for a while and he lost a little steam. Now his career just got a huge second wind.

[@NVM2121]

It _was_ going to be Khamzat but it's kind of tiring waiting to hear when the guy will actually fight so he's lost a looot of his star power now

[@catlover7466]

When you remember the UFC actually had Paddy set up as the next superstar lmao

[@artemgurevich4000]

I get it - UFC is the marquee promotion in the world of MMA, in fact, so much that a lot of people use them interchangeably. However, pure skill and merit and, in my opinion, star potential there’s one man that, at least, deserves to be mentioned… Patchy Mix. You can argue all day about Sean O’Malley being the biggest star at 135 but skill for skill, I think Patchy dispenses of Suga Sean (that’s if O’Malley gets through Merab) inside two rounds, and that’s me being somewhat generous. Also, the fact that he is dating Tatiana Suarez, who may just take the belt off Zhang, doesn’t hurt Mix, for sure. Also, Patchy is enormous for 135 so I can definitely see him get a couple of defenses and moving up. And I truly see him doing well in both weight classes and, to boot, he definitely has charisma and decent mic skills so if he ever does get to the UFC, watch out for that man is a beast!

[@sobisas]

Why isn’t Izzy fighting someone else before fighting duplis?? I think he should fight someone else first. Rematch Sean

[@ryangarwood6376]

Alex is older than Conor. He obviously is far more focused on training than Conor at this time, but just for perspective he’s already 36. Ilia is only 27 and Sean O’Malley is only 29. They have a lot more opportunity to be stars for multiple years.

[@smackheadsgyro]

dont be mean to luke that ksi deji analogy was great

[@diplamatikjuan3595]

IMO It's Max, with Poatan being a close second. O'Malley has great striking but his hair overshadows his mic skills, and nobody likes Illyia

[@Dudubilizando]

Poatan is bigger than Max in terms of star power, he has a good gimmick and big guys normally has more appeal. Topuria fight could change this tho.

[@DoubleDOwnage]

Max's 3 losses to Volk really hurt his stock. That's what gives Alex the edge.

[@hellogoodbye1748]

@@Dudubilizandobig guys having more appeal isn’t necessarily true in the UFC. Some of the most popular fighters end up being middle of the road in weight classes a lot of the time

[@bigoldawg2791]

Hearing some of these takes hurt my soul to its very core...

[@scottc2076]

The only star I could see staying is if Strickland gets the belt back

[@117Awesome]

Strictland is not going to be a star. He can be controversial on the mic but he’s got an incredibly boring jab heavy style.

[@scottc2076]

@@117Awesome Adesanya became a star despite being one of the most boring champions in UFC history.

[@onlycommentsonmobile]

​@@scottc2076Adesanya had a top-10 all-time fight against Kelvin Gastelum, a highlight reel KO against Whittaker, and a precision dismantling of an undefeated Costa. His boring defenses against Romero, Vettori, and Cannonier are really no different than when Anderson had boring defenses against Cote, Lutter, and Maia

[@scottc2076]

@@onlycommentsonmobile wasn’t around for Anderson Silva. And if you argue Silva was boring, that’s more argument you can be boring and be a star. Izzy vs Kelvin isn’t a top 10 of all time fight lmao maybe top 25. One good fight doesn’t mean anything. Ok he had one good KO against Rob but that was more of Rob leaving his chin on a silver platter than Izzy being entertaining. And costa that was purely leg kick spamming until the finish. Izzy’s only entertaining when he’s fighting someone who forces him to be entertaining like an Alex Pereira. Fact of the matter is Izzy is the most boring champ there’s been in the past 5 years at least.

[@117Awesome]

@@scottc2076 Adesanya had some great fights in his run, it wasn’t until he was on his 4th defense that he got really safe and became boring.

[@wildbillcody9052]

Main event isn’t the fight that sells the ppv all the time. Also I would say biggest draws right now are Max, Dustin and Strickland

[@MMAallday-]

Conor is like the 1970s Elvis... He's still a huge star but his best days are behind him. He'll never reach the heights of 50s Elvis but the ones who witnessed the rise will stay with him till he's gone. MacGregor is the UFCs only major star. When he's gone it'll be back to business as usual... There'll be popular fighters & then everybody else.

[@worldsetonastone]

If ilia keeps winning I think he can be really massive. Payton Talbott is a great prospect as well in my opinion. We will see. But no one can really eclipse McGregor in the longest time

[@federicoarmando8359]

Besides Conor, I feel like Oliveira, Topuria, Holloway, Omalley, and Pereira are the biggest right now. In that order…

[@PavelDatsyuk-ui4qv]

No way its not alex

[@Alberts_Stuff]

Yeah pretty much all 4 in the thumbnail

[@MMAproAtGOLF]

Max running the show now

[@griffinkelly8694]

I’m coming around on the BMF belt. The name is still ridiculous, but a belt that can move between weight classes is great.

[@onlycommentsonmobile]

Legacy of the Diaz Bros stays winning

[@TheSpoofster0]

Alex is the closest/best bet for next star. Illia has the most potential to become the biggest star. Omally can walk the walk and is good but his trash talk and potential is one of the lowest outa the group. That’s for champs there are contenders that are rising that have a good argument for being the next big star but we have to see if they can get the title first

[@daltondunn7856]

4:34 was this guy born 20 mins ago? Michael Bisping won the title in 2016, does he not think social media existed 8 years ago?

[@NoGrrlLikeMe]

Next star? Max has BEEN a Star why Use his thumbnail like he just Entered the UFC?

[@hellogoodbye1748]

Max is a star among fans. He’s not a name and face a casual audience really knew a ton about before the Gaethje fight. The casual audience is what makes a fighter a true star

[@joshnagel8819]

Yeah, this commentator's take that Holloway isn't a stand-alone star and needs a big-name opponent to carry his water is simply way off base. Not only was he a long-term champion, his fight against Rodriguez is one of the greatest Apex battles ever, and the UFC raised prices on the limited seats from $1.5K to $3K for it. His Fight Night win over Kattar was the first time the UFC ever appeared on ABC and it did huge numbers. There's a reason why his fight against Gaethje at UFC 300 was considered the people's Main Event, and it wasn't because Gaethje was a big star dragging Hoilloway along. I'm not even a huge Holloway fan, but his star power in the UFC was undeniable long before the BMF fight.

[@NoGrrlLikeMe]

@@joshnagel8819 Respectfully and Strongly Agree.

[@umuti5ik]

Perreira must have been trembling in his boots that a podcast guy was his enemy…

[@WillOnYT]

We will never have a mega star like Conor again. The UFC stopped putting effort into promotion after the ESPN Deal happened and they have to do a guaranteed amount of events. Why are we still doing Apex events in halfway thru 2024? Nobody can talk like Conor and anybody who does people say they are a cringy Conor copy.

[@galacticmaui2]

I could be off on this but Ilia star power seems very overstated. Not a knock on his abilities but in the US I don’t know anyone who cares about him and few who know him. Wonder if he is a huge star in Spain but not so much internationally.

[@nirjalunitedinstinct2695]

If Strickland would've beat dricus. He would've been Megastar.

[@Bedardo12]

STAR or Fighter? They're 2 different things to me. O'Malley is likely our next Star that people who don't watch fights would find interesting. In terms of Fighter, I'd say Pereira. He reps what fight fans are all about, AND has a very imposing presence.

[@EazyIzzy]

There was a time where for three years the clear answer to this question was Israel Adesanya. He held the position as the "next face" in firm grasp while he was acedning to the title and defending his championship. 700-800K PPV Buys In Multiple Fights. (Robert Witaker 1, Paulo Costa, Jan & Alex. He shot himself in the foot with boring performances & his eventual loss to Strickland. Sean O Malley has the potential to be the Guy right now. Hes been bubbling for years and now hes showing why he is capable. Khamzat Chimaev at this point has flamed out a bit. That synergy belongs to Shavkat right now. Illa Topuria has alot to work with, being only 27 years old, undefeated champion, a huge untapped market like Spain! It looks good for him. Alex Pierra is not in his prime anymore. Only has a few fights until hes out on top of the fact that he never had a huge PPV where he was the sole focus or didnt have alot of help. Alex Vs Izzy sold fights because of their rivalry and UFC 300 had alot going for it besides himself.

[@eujoseafonso]

It's the winner of Topuria/Holloway. If Max wins he'll be the 145 champ and the BMF champ simultaneously. The knockout against Gaethje has helped him a lot to reach immortality, but he needs the lineal champ to solidify his status for casuals and maybe some more exposure (talk shows, etc). Topuria is also a pretty easy pick. Finishes everyone, savage on the mic and has the support of Real Madrid, Spain and Georgia. Most hardcore fans seem to dislike Ilia right now, but most people will support him if he KOs Max Holloway (the MMA fanbase is incredibly fickle and with short term memory). He has the making of a star for sure.

[@kyledostica7241]

Because he is ducking the top 3 ? No one wants to see a champ that doesn't want to fight all comers

[@JoshAndMurph]

There’s levels to stardom in the UFC. Connor is the only S-Tier Star. Izzy, Max, Suga, Volk, Poatan , DP all A-Tier. Fan Favorites like Holland, Wonderboy, Lewis, Charles, etc all B-Tier And so on and so forth

[@gaeloconnor707]

299 wasn’t “a little more stacked” it was insanely stacked. It rivalled 300. The card was so over stacked that we didn’t have decent fight night for ages. I mean only tomorrow’s card is decent. I don’t think Sean is or ever will be the draw that the ufc want him to be. Put it this way, the ufc will out together a mediocre to ok card for a Conor ppv cause they know it’ll do a million buys anyway but with Sean, they need to heavily over stack the card. If Sean was headlining 303 instead of Conor, I doubt it would scrape 500k buys

[@toby099]

Anyone who thinks o Malley is a star doesn’t understand what a star is

[@julianwates-erskin9243]

The answer is simple. It’s the one who keeps winning.

[@GDAWG.]

Its tom aspinall! Unfortunately jon wont fight him for blatantly obvious reasons but tom is the one.

[@Fernand00T]

Alex Pereira Already toke over! The man is a Monster!! HYPE!

[@rturnier74]

😂😂😂 Can't believe this 12yo just called himself an old head!!

[@alexbrown975]

It would be Tom Aspinal if Jones stopped being a duck.

[@mathmusicstructure]

Pereira is real. O'Malley is manufactured, but it seems like it's working.

[@davidg984]

No one will ever be McGregor. Ever. No one will be close.

[@Defsnot_Momskowerkor]

OMalley vs Holm when? 🤣 If Aspinall beats Jones he would be my candidate

[@user-pn3jd5se2q]

100% O Malley but im sure these guys will say otherwise

[@MrGiovanniPollio]

Tony Ferguson. The run to the title is coming

[@Upstateoutdoorz]

I would love to see Pereira vs Aspinall and the winner fights Jones

[@Upstateoutdoorz]

In a perfect world that's what I wanna see