The UFC Doesn't Have a Star Problem - It Has a Patience Problem

"Gone are the good old days". Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar, Conor McGregor, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre... all megastars of the past who have all seen out their UFC careers (with the exception of McGregor, of course).

Where are the stars now? Alex Pereira? Ilia Topuria? Both of these men are coming off one-sided losses. Paddy Pimblett? He's a big star, but in his lone title chance, he lost convincingly.

The issue is, fans aren't allowing fighters to build and expect them to be able to compete instantly with the best. They also see one loss as a fighter being 'over hyped' or 'fraud checked', which is almost never the case.

Let's take a look at past legends, the fights they had before they made it to the top and the evidence that we need to allow fighters to grow.

Past Promotional Megastars

Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar

Two fighters that stick out in our list are Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar. 

All eyes were always going to be on Rousey when she joined the UFC because women fighting in the UFC was new. It was fresh; people weren't sure what to expect. She was a big star before she even joined the UFC, and her dominant fighting career allowed her to live up to the hype. She had the perfect match of ability and mic skills, something that she instantly put into place when she joined the UFC.

For Brock Lesnar, like Rousey, he was a star before joining the UFC. Unlike Rousey, however, he was a household name before even signing with Dana White and co. As a former WWE champion, he had the mic skills ingrained in him, and he looked like a force to be reckoned with. He was always going to be a PPV seller because he was easily marketable.

Anderson Silva

It's hard to forget that Anderson Silva was a 21-fight MMA veteran when he joined the UFC in 2006. 'The Spider' was a Pride veteran and already had fought names including Carlos Newton and Yushin Okami.

It was a win/win for the UFC. Sign an established name who was a star. If he succeeds within the UFC, we know he's UFC level. If he fails, it proves how elite UFC fighters are. Luckily for them, he was a megastar.

Jon Jones

Jon Jones debuted at 6-0 in the UFC and faced a fellow undefeated prospect in Andre Gusmao. We forget that Jones was given time and faced Stephan Bonnar in his second fight, again going to a decision. 

Jones would go 10-1 before having a tough test against Ryan Bader, a fight in which he dominated. Only then did he receive a title shot, seven fights into his UFC career. Jones had the caveat of having the 'it' factor and a built-in storyline... his young age.

Georges St-Pierre

Many fans forget that GSP went 2-1 in the UFC before fighting for Canadian promotion TKO Major League MMA. Fans were patient with St-Pierre, welcoming him back to the UFC with open arms.

We forget, after what he went on to achieve, that 'Rush' at one point in his UFC career was 3-1 with the promotion, with two decisions. The UFC and fans alike gave him time to grow, and we got to see one of the biggest stars in the company's history blossom.

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor is maybe the exception to the rule, but that's why he's the biggest star the sport has ever seen. He was a promotional darling from minute one, had the backing of an entire country and importantly, had a fighting style that was fan-friendly. 

Entering the promotion as a double champion in CageWarriors, his ability was clear. At the time, it wasn't usual for a 2-0 fighter to headline an event, but when the UFC travelled to Dublin, there was only one man fit to headline the event.

The risk paid off, and the company made a lot of money out of McGregor, and he made a lot of money from them too.

Sometimes, patience isn't needed.

Sean O'Malley

Sean O'Malley is an interesting story. Following his highlight reel knockout on Dana White's Contender Series, we believed that we had a megastar in the making on our hands.

He was a fighter who had the 'slow build' and didn't headline an event, nor was he scheduled for a five-round fight until his first title fight. 

O'Malley had 10 UFC fights before his first title shot, despite being a big name, having a fan-friendly style and more often than not, performing on the big stage. He was given time and showed the benefits of this.