Earlier today, the highly anticipated UFC 229 Press Conference took place, and there was something missing. That “something” was a room full of roaring Irish, Russian, and MMA fans across all demographics. The media was prepared for this atmosphere, as was Dana White and lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, but Conor McGregor did not bite his tongue when voicing his visible frustration, and he took a shot at the new UFC owners in doing so:
“If I was an owner and I was part of the promotion, I would have had f–king fans in this arena,”’ McGregor said at the UFC 229 Press Conference. “Where’s the f–king fans at? That’s who we fight for. That’s who pays the bills. That’s who deserves this show. Bring me all over the f–king world and we’re just sitting here in the f–king thing. I’m on probation up to me eyeballs in ongoing and incoming civil cases and come here to do this bulls–t. Bring the fans here. Here we are. You’s wanted a war, here we f–king are. Let’s get a war going. F–king all this other stupid s–t. I didn’t get what I asked, so here we are.”
McGregor’s frustration spilled over earlier this week when he insisted on social media that the press conference was open to the public, which prompted the UFC to release a statement clarifying that it was not.
There will be fans in the sold-out T-Mobile arena come October 6th, however, and there will certainly be legions of fans watching on pay per view when the biggest fight in UFC history takes place in a little over two weeks. And if you are reading this, you will probably be one of them.
Given the past incidents surrounding Conor McGregor, do you believe having a lack of fans was a wise safety precaution by the UFC or a blown opportunity?
