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Three-time UFC title challenger and current MMA analyst Chael Sonnen doesn’t believe Conor McGregor should become a fight promoter, and if he does, he would “fall on his face.”
McGregor and UFC president Dana White have been in a public feud that stemmed from Notorious releasing private direct messages between himself and White. Amid the feud, McGregor has shared plans of hosting a charity MMA event spearheaded by his promotion company, McGregor Sports and Entertainment MMA, headlined by himself and top UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier fighting in an exhibition match.
“Notorious” said that the event would not be affiliated with the UFC, but since he is under contract with the promotion, it’s unclear if the Irishman can legally host it.
“Hey bro! You want to do an MMA charity fight?” McGregor tweeted to Poirier. “Zero to do with the ufc. I will donate half a mill towards your charity for it. Sell it on ppv or work a tv deal and we work out other charities that are close to my heart also. I am engaged in many. Strictly a charity ‘exhibition.’”
McGregor continued, “December 12th in the Point depot, Ireland. No weigh ins. Open weight, unified rules. I will arrange all travel fare for you and family. McGregor Sports and Entertainment MMA, in association with The Good Fight Foundation. Charity Mixed Martial Arts!”
If the event moves forward, Notorious would work as the promoter but Sonnen doesn’t believe it would be successful.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Sonnen said, “I wish Conor the best, but if I could give Conor any advice, and I’ve given him plenty over the years – do not go into the promoting game. You’re going to fall on your face, and you don’t know what you’re doing.”
Sonnen Thinks McGregor Would Lose Money Should the Event Go on Ahead
According to McGregor, the event would take place on December 12 in Dublin, Ireland. And if Notorious builds the event, Sonnen said the Irishman would would lose money.
Sonnen told the outlet:
I don’t think Conor will ever promote a fight any more than Floyd Mayweather ever promoted a boxing event. Floyd runs around with TMZ and the Money Team – you couldn’t pull into their office right now if you wanted to, because it doesn’t exist. It’s not real, any more than McGregor Sports and Entertainment is real. It’s just some names that they put on a letter and file for a tax ID number. These aren’t real things. But he needs to keep it that way.
I’m not kicking Conor right now. I really don’t care what he does one way or the other. I’ve watched these guys go broke all the time. The inmates cannot run the asylum. There’s a few people alive that know how to promote. Everybody else is going to lose money. Conor is going to lose money.
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Sonnen Said That McGregor & White Are Going to ‘Have to Work This Out’
Sonnen told the outlet that although Notorious and White and feuding, “they’re going to have to work this out.” The former three-time UFC title challenger recounted times other fighters have unsuccessfully tried to publicly take on White and he reiterated that the “sport goes on.”
In his interview with MMA Fighting, Sonnen said:
I’ve seen so many guys go head to head with Dana and thinking that they’re bigger than the organization, and these same guys – Jon Jones is going through it right now where he’s also retired and going to vacate, [or] Henry Cejudo, god bless him, whether he was trying to play chess or he really sincerely thought I want to go out on top – they were all doing it as an attempt to get over, and these guys, they’ve left the sport since. The sport goes on. Or they’ve been in the sport and they get suspended. For Jon Jones to believe he’s got a power in this industry, he’s been suspended twice and the industry moved on just fine.
It’s just a very weird deal. It’s this very weird concept where you can lose touch. I don’t know how that happens. These are athletes that, for the most part, are just blue-collar, hard-working guys. I would also imagine that it comes from the people around them and tell him how great and valuable and important they are. It’s just one of these things.
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