Brendan Schaub Says Conor McGregor Is Steering the Ship of the UFC and Says His Old Contract No Longer Matters

During a recent edition of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, broadcast analyst and former UFC fighter Brendan Schaub discussed UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor and his status with the UFC after McGregor’s blockbuster, record-breaking boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. Below are some highlights from the show (transcript via MMAFighting.com).

Schaub on how McGregor has changed the game for the better and steering the ship for the UFC: “Conor has changed the game for the better, especially if you’re the fighter. With WME, he’s steering the ship. Think about it, he made over – the numbers have come out and they’re saying it’s gonna be the biggest pay-per-view of all time – so he made $100 million, right? So you’re telling me if you’re Conor and you’re part of his team you’re gonna go, ‘Hey, fight Nate Diaz for $5-10 million and also, we need you to wear this Reebok and they’re gonna pay you $100,000 a year.’ You think Conor’s gonna [do that]? You’re crazy. You’re playing a different game now. You’re talking about the biggest athlete in combat sports. You’re not getting him for the $200,000 you were paying him a year. He can go, ‘Listen, I’m down to wear Reebok but it’s a different animal now.’”

Schaub on how McGregor will not be able to fight under his older terms again: “Conor’s changing the dynamics for everyone because now, when you want him to fight again, you can’t have him agree to those old terms. He’s a smart guy and he learned anything from Floyd, you know when you fight Floyd you’re fighting a different animal. . . That contract doesn’t matter if it’s out or not. The game has changed. There’s no way you keep going with that current contract.”

Schaub on what McGregor should do next: “If I’m Conor and I have McGregor promotions . . . I’m just gonna go to Dublin and me and Paulie are gonna sell this 70,000 stadium out and I’m just gonna take all of it.”