Photo courtesy of Sherdog
With Conor McGregor making waves by claiming he'll become a two division champion, the UFC is placed into an interesting quandary: Do they allow MCGregor to maintain his featherweight belt if he wins the lightweight championship and cast off once and for all the "brand first" strategy the UFC trusted through most of the mid to late 2000s? This has been an era of stars in MMA, though not quite superstars. If parent company Zuffa does allow this change, they are banking on a future crop of superstars to sustain them until they are ready to sell or retire, considering the timing.
With the defection of Benson Henderson to Bellator, there's added pressure on the UFC to let McGregor fulfill his wishes as Henderson is a very real threat to Bellator light and welterweight champions Will Brooks and Andrey Koreshkov. There are rumors Henderson may start in Bellator at 170, but that may be just for the sake of doing a quick first fight. If he returns to lightweight, an immediate Brooks fight is a no brainer. Henderson's mix of aggression and cagecraft may be too much for the talented Brooks. Koreshkov is also very talented, but perhaps not quite enough to get past the veteran Henderson.
A two division champion in Bellator would send a clear signal to the fighters on the UFC roster and the MMA fan base that Bellator is willing to do what the UFC can't or won't assuming McGregor is stripped of his Featherweight title following a victory over Dos Anjos. This alongside the permissive sponsorship policy and the ancillary promises of Viacom will make Bellator's offers seem far more attractive to upcoming and veteran fighters alike.
Even a McGregor defeat puts the UFC in an intriguing situation as Bellator could conceivably boast having one of the biggest superstars with Bendo as two division champion, serving as a counterpoint to the UFC's fast tracked stars who don't always deliver. Bendo has suffered few defeats and only to top level guys.
Will Scott Coker lay out an aggressive superstar strategy built around Bendo? Events like Shamrock vs. Gracie seem to suggest Bellator is already focused on pursuing twin strategies of cashing in on and developing stars It is the latter strategy that gives them worthy challengers for the crafty Henderson. Few will doubt his victories are substantive.
Bendo will be the ultimate decider of whether to pursue this path and being able to revel in that kind of choice is likely what caused him to make the leap in the first place.
