The Takedown | Stop the Conor McGregor vs Manny Pacquiao nonsense – the UFC must get ‘Notorious’ back in the Octagon now

UFC’s banner year when it comes to 2020 does not feel complete with only one McGregor fight

The Irishman fighting Pacquiao would be a snooze fest, and no one really wants another boxing super bout

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Could 2020 get any better for the UFC? Yes, if Conor McGregor fought again. Photo: AP

Published: 10:43pm, 10 Aug 2020Updated: 5:00am, 11 Aug 2020

When it comes to banner years, pretty much everyone on the face of the planet is having an off one. When it’s all said and done, most of us will chalk 2020 up underneath the loss column, and hope for a comeback in 2021.

Understandable, given we are still in the middle of an unprecedented global pandemic which has brought large parts of the world to its knees like we haven’t seen since the Second World War.

But there have been outliers, and in the sporting world, nobody has had a better year, all things considered, than the UFC. They shut down briefly during the first wave of Covid-19 in the US, then got back up and rolling in Florida (without fans), left that state before its second wave crushed it, held a few fights in Vegas at its facility, then flew to Abu Dhabi and hosted the remarkably successful series of Fight Island shows.

Dana White and company have been winning when other sporting leagues have been sitting on their hands and knees. Now that the NBA, NHL and MLB are back, soon to be followed by the NFL, mixed martial arts’ time hogging the spotlight is surely over. But White has a massive feather in his cap – he was a man of his word and the first major sporting league back in action.

While this year will go down in the win column for the UFC, one has to wonder if there shouldn’t be an asterisk beside it. When you are winning, it means your marquee superstars are winning. The UFC’s biggest name of all-time, Conor McGregor, however, has only fought for 40 seconds this calendar year.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}The Takedown | Stop the Conor McGregor vs Manny Pacquiao nonsense – the UFC must get ‘Notorious’ back in the Octagon now

The Takedown | Stop the Conor McGregor vs Manny Pacquiao nonsense – the UFC must get ‘Notorious’ back in the Octagon now