Conor McGregor V Floyd Mayweather Super-Fight: 5 Positives & 5 Negatives

3. This Fight Could Be The Next Big MMA Breakthrough

Mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the world. More people than ever before are learning some form of martial arts, and it's helping the sport evolve to new heights. While a UFC fight today looks very different to one even a decade ago, the sport is still in its formative years.

MMA has had a few boom periods. The first major mainstream breakthrough was The Ultimate Fighter in 2005. The revolutionary weekly television show culminated in the wild finale between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. That fight is widely credited as being the first fight that put UFC firmly on the sporting map.

Over the next few years, the world was exposed to Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson and many more who helped the sport keep the momentum going. Brock Lesnar came along and his crossover appeal with wrestling fans, along with his success in the octagon, took MMA to its first true boom period.

After a cooler few years where Anderson Silva, BJ Penn and Georges St-Pierre carried the company along admirably, the dual emergence of Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor helped really revolutionise the way UFC conducted its business. Coming through at roughly the same time, both transcended the sport in a way no-one ever truly had before, and it felt like MMA could do no wrong.

No mixed martial arts fighter will ever have had as many eyes on them in a fight as Conor McGregor will. If he performs even competently, then his next UFC fight will be the biggest in the company's history, assuming it happens. There's a full line up of big fights in the lightweight division in UFC, and in truth McGregor could fight anyone and it'll be a box office hit.