GDT: UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka

[Neutrinos]

You've got Conor. Then you've got GSP, Brock, Rousey.

I think it's a pretty big drop to the rest of the guys, but Masvidal would be in there. Diaz ,Cormier, Jones, Chuck, Tito, Silva, Penn, Rampage, etc. Bunch more too. I'd have Masvidal pretty close to the bottom of that group though.

To me, if you can headline a big PPV as the A-side with no title on the line (or at least have a split like Masvidal/Diaz) then you're a star. Some stars shine longer (and I think Masvidal's star will have flamed out pretty quick) but he was obviously a star for a period.

I didn't include Lesnar because he was a superstar before joining the UFC

Liddell's acting credits include Kick-Ass 2, Entourage, and The Simpsons

Rampage starred in a Hollywood blockbuster with Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper

Carano was the lead in a Hollywood blockbuster that also starred Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, and Antonio Banderas, and was later cast in a Fast & The Furious film, as well as The Mandalorian

Masvidal's IMDB page isn't quite as impressive: Jorge Masvidal - IMDb


In order to have reached superstar status, someone's popularity has to have spilled over into the mainstream

 

[KevinFinnerty]

Glover will submit him if he gets him down

 

[Taytro]

Part of what leads to a great fighter becoming a star is having a marketable look, which is something Ferguson didn't have

Jiri has a look and fighting style that should endear him to hardcore and casual fans alike regardless of how well he does on the mic afterwards

Maybe McGregor has forever changed the game, but it wasn't too long ago that the biggest stars in the sport were GSP, Silva, and Fedor, who between the 3 of them have yet to say anything remotely interesting in their post-fight interviews

I don't even know what Fedor's voice actually sounds like!


From a marketing perspective, male stars are generally someone that men wanna be, and women wanna be with

I think the rugged viking look that Jiri has going would check both boxes

Never said anything remotely interesting?!? "I'm not impress by your performance" is still the best line ever said to promote an MMA fight.

Jeez, these casuals.

 

[pistolpete11]

GSP, Rhonda Rousey, and Conor McGregor were superstars. Masvidal was never on their level


Superstar GSP fighting Captain America on the big screen


Superstar Rhonda Rousey guest starring in the Entourage movie


Superstar Conor McGregor starring in a nationwide Burger King commercial


Superstar Jorge Masvidal starring in this



One of these things is not like the other

Masvidal was absolutely a superstar of the sport. If he was a championship caliber fighter is another discussion, but in terms of star power? The only people bigger than him for that time were Conor and probably Nate. Even after losing 3 in a row, he's still one of the bigger stars now.

I'd say Gaethje has a pretty big personality. It's a different flavor than say Conor, but he's up there. We'll see on Oliveira. His PPV's have sold well, but I think those cards were carried by Poirier who got the Conor bump (twice) and Gaethje. We'll see how well it sells if he ends up fighting Dariush or someone like that.

For that time.

Of all time, it is Conor, Brock, Ronda, GSP, and then everybody else. But at that time, he was behind only Conor and arguably Nate. Take out the Conor, Ronda, and Brock cards and there's only like 3 or 4 PPVs that have sold over 1M PPV and UFC 251 was one of them. Masvidal was the single biggest reason for that.

 

[pistolpete11]

Tyron Woodley - IMDb

m.imdb.com

Woodley must be a bigger MMA star than Masvidal.

 

[chicagoskycam]

Shit, I didn't know a fighter needed a good IMDB page in order to be a star, lol. Masvidal definitely had a good run and his popularity at some point crossed over to the mainstream without the impressive resume. I'd say still more popular than anyone else in WW, and yes he sells fights.

 

[Neutrinos]

Tyron Woodley - IMDb

m.imdb.com

Woodley must be a bigger MMA star than Masvidal.

Shit, I didn't know a fighter needed a good IMDB page in order to be a star, lol. Masvidal definitely had a good run and his popularity at some point crossed over to the mainstream without the impressive resume. I'd say still more popular than anyone else in WW, and yes he sells fights.

It's not the fact they're getting acting roles, but it's the significance of those roles that show their popularity has gone beyond their sport, and crossed over into the mainstream

Frank Trigg has been getting steady work as an actor/stuntman since retiring from the sport, but I didn't list him as a superstar because his roles haven't been all that impressive Frank Trigg - IMDb

What evidence is there that anyone outside of MMA fans has any idea who Masvidal is?

 

[Neutrinos]

For that time.

Of all time, it is Conor, Brock, Ronda, GSP, and then everybody else. But at that time, he was behind only Conor and arguably Nate. Take out the Conor, Ronda, and Brock cards and there's only like 3 or 4 PPVs that have sold over 1M PPV and UFC 251 was one of them. Masvidal was the single biggest reason for that.

UFC 251 was intended to be the year's biggest event, and was already stacked long before Masvidal was chosen to replace Burns

So, how many additional PPV buys should Masvidal get credit for when the card already featured Usman, Volkanovski, Holloway, Yan, Aldo, Rose, and Van Zant?

 

[I am not exposed]

Neutrinos = Colby Covington confirmed.

 

[pistolpete11]

Neutrinos = Colby Covington confirmed.

After 2019, I never thought I'd have to defend the position that Jorge Masvidal was a star in the UFC

 

[Neutrinos]

After 2019, I never thought I'd have to defend the position that Jorge Masvidal was a star in the UFC

Nobody has said he wasn't a star

"Masvidal was absolutely a superstar of the sport." is what you said in post #22

 

[CDJ]

Nobody has said he wasn't a star

"Masvidal was absolutely a superstar of the sport." is what you said in post #22

He’s a top 3-5 draw and Dana is probably paying him more than 99% of the roster, he’s absolutely a superstar whether you like him or not.

Like who is a bigger draw than him other than Conor and *maybe* Jon Jones/Nate Diaz?

Now he’s not a top 3-5 fighter but that’s not the question here. When talking star power in MMA you can count on 1 hand the company Masvidal is in. And I find him to be relatively insufferable and not all that compelling! Others certainly feel differently though. He brings in casuals.

 

[Neutrinos]

He’s a top 3-5 draw and Dana is probably paying him more than 99% of the roster, he’s absolutely a superstar whether you like him or not.

Like who is a bigger draw than him other than Conor and *maybe* Jon Jones/Nate Diaz?

Now he’s not a top 3-5 fighter but that’s not the question here. When talking star power in MMA you can count on 1 hand the company Masvidal is in. And I find him to be relatively insufferable and not all that compelling! Others certainly feel differently though. He brings in casuals.

We obviously have differing standards on what constitutes a "superstar"

Masvidal "draws" when he's up against a big name like Diaz or Covington, or on a stacked card like 251 or 261

Have him headline an average PPV event against Belal Muhammed and let's see how many casual fans tune in

 

[CDJ]

We obviously have differing standards on what constitutes a "superstar"

Masvidal "draws" when he's up against a big name like Diaz or Covington, or on a stacked card like 251 or 261

Have him headline an average PPV event against Belal Muhammed and let's see how many casual fans tune in

Covington couldn’t draw a picture let alone numbers for a PPV. He can thank Jorge for those numbies, not the other way around

There would be a lot of casual fans that tune in, far more than Colby-Belal that for sure

 

[m9]

Nobody loves pointless arguments in this forum more than me, but even I've reached my limit when we are arguing the definition of "superstar" vs "star"

 

[CDJ]

Bontorin botched his weight cut, fight with Kape is off

 

[Neutrinos]

Covington couldn’t draw a picture let alone numbers for a PPV. He can thank Jorge for those numbies, not the other way around

There would be a lot of casual fans that tune in, far more than Colby-Belal that for sure

I never said Colby was a draw, I said he was a big name

 

[pistolpete11]

Bontorin botched his weight cut, fight with Kape is off

BOOOOOOO!!!!

 

[I am not exposed]

Masvidal will finally get into superstar status when he has a cameo in Kickb0xer 4.1: The Power of the Kick!

 

[CDJ]

I saw a Jiri first round KO in my dream last night. Idk why I dreamed of that.

BOOOOOOO!!!!

I was so stoked for it too

 

[CDJ]

If the judges are anything like the commentators a robbery is coming in fight 1

Edit: they aren’t! Good sign!

 

[CDJ]

Damn, not gonna get a lot of brutal Ko’s like that at strawweight

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Obvious knee to downed opponent both fighters stop... ref: nah keep going lol

 

[Byron Bitz]

Great round

 

[Byron Bitz]

What a performance by Jake Matthews