Conor McGregor became the undisputed face of the UFC in 2016 for reasons that go beyond his fighting skills.
McGregor is a modern-day version of famous professional wrestler "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, a man who wears custom suits and isn't afraid to speak his mind regarding just about anybody and anything. Whether much of McGregor's act is a "gimmick" doesn't matter to casual fight fans or even to diehards who root for him to fail. McGregor fills arenas and sells pay-per-views each time he competes.
He also made history at multiple UFC shows this year.
Per Dave Meltzer of MMA Fighting, the UFC 202 show headlined by McGregor vs. Nate Diaz set a new record for UFC pay-per-view buys. McGregor, the featherweight champion as of Nov. 12, then defeated Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 to win the lightweight title, making him the promotion's first simultaneous two-division champion.
McGregor backs his talk up inside the cage.
It's easy to understand, upon reviewing 10 of McGregor's wildest moments from 2016, why he's the top draw and top star in mixed martial arts. We already can't wait to see what McGregor has in mind for 2017.
