Opinion: Dana White’s Worst Nightmare

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OK, the title is a bit hyperbolic. UFC President Dana White’s worst nightmare -- aside from a family tragedy -- would be the Ultimate Fighting Championship being sold while he was asleep and waking up to find he is now unemployed. Nevertheless, let’s get to the point, shall we?

This has been a big year for the UFC. The respective ascents of Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor helped push the promotion further into the mainstream than it has been since the days when Brock Lesnar dominated water-cooler conversation as UFC heavyweight champion. Rousey’s star was established thanks to fights that could be stuffed into an Instagram video, and her pop culture status helped propel the UFC to new heights. Meanwhile, McGregor proved, to a certain extent, that the hype was real when he secured the UFC interim featherweight title against Chad Mendes. He next serves as the headliner of a pay-per-view being heralded as featuring arguably the best main card in the history of the UFC, his mouth full of golden one-liners he has backed up with devastating finishes.

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This all happened during a time when people began to feel that the popularity of the UFC had peaked and had nowhere to go but down. Injuries ravaged cards over the past few years at a time when the deal with Fox called for more fights and left fans feeling overwhelmed and underserviced. Not that the situation has been resolved, as there still are injuries that rip apart events and too many cards for the average mind to process and get excited about.

However, in a matter of 30 days, it could all fall apart.

We already saw Rousey’s veil of invincibility lifted in brutal fashion against Holly Holm, the power of her celebrity possibly crashing to earth in a ball of flames like the Hindenburg. On Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, we could also see the end of McGregor’s eye-opening run in the UFC, as he runs into perhaps the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and faces Jose Aldo at UFC 194.

Unpredictability has always been a driving force in combat sports, where any fight can end with one well-placed punch. However, the sport also benefits from creating a sense of familiarity because of the expected. Dominant champions who happen to also have mainstream appeal are able to penetrate into popular culture because people love winners they can recognize. It’s the reason that Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao and others have extended their reach beyond the world of boxing. Winning is one thing, but having that certain aesthetic that connects to casual fans is a unique trait that doesn’t come around often; and White struck gold with both Rousey and McGregor. Jon Jones could be added to the list once he makes his successful return to the Octagon after a tumultuous 2015, but I digress.

Although Rousey’s fall will go down as one of the biggest moments in UFC history, it also affects business. No disrespect to Holm whatsoever, but she lacks the crossover appeal Rousey possesses. Simply put, very few fighters come with those intangibles built into their persona. It’s unlikely that a Holm fight, outside of a rematch against Rousey, will draw interest from people who couldn’t differentiate between a kimura and shrimp tempura. That’s just the way it is.

So White’s next brightest star is McGregor. The Irishman is the type of guy who could excel in commercials, film roles and guest appearances. As long as he keeps backing up his tough talk with victories, there’s not much in his way. However, the outcome against Aldo is far from predetermined. As good as McGregor has been, it would be foolish to bet against a man who hasn’t lost in a decade.

There’s the dilemma. Although he won’t admit it, you have to think that White will be rooting for McGregor to win at UFC 194. Not that the UFC president has anything against Aldo, but McGregor is bigger business. Aldo’s stateside marketability will always be limited by his inability to speak English. No matter how good Aldo is, he just doesn’t connect with the casual fan. However, there’s a distinct possibility that the Aldo who savagely destroyed his competition in World Extreme Cagefighting returns to run roughshod over McGregor. If that happens, McGregor will join Rousey on the sidelines, as they both lick their wounds and try to rehab images that will surely take a beating from the public.

As for White, he’ll proclaim Aldo’s greatness, but deep down inside, he’ll have to come to grips with the idea that his two brightest stars have fallen in a span of 30 days. It’s not like the sport will fall apart or anything, but it’s nice when your revenue isn’t dictated only by the diehard fans who religiously support mixed martial arts. Fighters like McGregor and Rousey, who create can’t-miss television whenever they fight, don’t come around often. Eventually they will be replaced -- Paige VanZant and Sage Northcutt, anyone? -- but the UFC would love to ride the gravy train for both of these fighters as long as it possibly can.

Andreas Hale is a content producer for Jay Z’s LifeandTimes.com and editor-in-chief of PremierWuzHere.com, as well as a frequent Sherdog.com columnist. Check out his archive here.