The UFC needs new stars, who is next?

The top 10 UFC PPVs were all headlined by Brock Lesnar, Conor McGregor, or Ronda Rousey. Lesnar is officially done with MMA. Rousey is unofficially done with MMA. And all McGregor wants to do is box Floyd Mayweather.

The UFC has not broken 500,000 PPV buys without McGregor, Rousey or Lesnar since UFC 183: Silva vs. Diaz on January 31, 2015. UFC 203 on September 10, 2016 was close with 450,000 buys, thanks in large part to the debut of CM Punk. That fight outcome did not leave fans screaming for more CM Punk.

The biggest crowd reaction at UFC 209 may have been when Nick and Nate Diaz entered the arena. The loudest sound during the main event was boos. And the most anticipated fight of all for the hardcore fanbase, Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson, was scratched, so it got no sound at all.

It’s possible UFC 209 won’t do as well as UFC 208, which was headlined by a featherweight title fight between the 0-2 her last two Holly Holm and the #10 bantamweight Germaine de Randamie. The latter won; the UFC champ at 145 is still ranked #10 at 135. UFC 208 got 200,000 PV buys.

It could be worse though. UFC 206 on December 10, 2016, headlined by Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson, did just 150,000 buys.

It could be worse though. The UFC planned to start the year big with UFC 208 on January 21 in California, home to the new owners WME-IMG, and a number of the new investors. There were no stars available to headline, and it was postponed to July 29.

And all this is happening against a backdrop of the UFC needing to realize a return on a $4,000,000,000 investment.

Welterweight G.O.A.T. Georges St-Pierre is back, but has not fought since 2013. It is not clear that he remains the PPV draw he once was. A lot has happened in four years.

Diaz vs. McGregor III will likely be the biggest MMA PPV ever. McGregor vs. GSP could be the biggest MMA PPV ever. McGregor vs. Phil N. DeBlank will do 1,000,000 PPV buys. But McGregor only wants to box Mayweather, and equity.

So the UFC needs new stars.

The good news is, over and again, fans and pundits have declared the best is behind us. Once, the UFC was knocked off PPV in the US and stars migrated to Japan, and the glory days of Royce Gracie were over. Once, Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz were done or should be, and the glory days were over. Now Ronda and Brock are done and glory days are over.

It has never been clear who the next star would be. How many people could have guessed in 2012 that the third most searched for person on Google in 2015 would be Ronda Rousey?

Still, there are some prospects.

Yair Rodriguez, 24, has a hyper fan friendly style of crushing opponents with relentless spectacular kicks. If he makes it work vs. a tremendous wrestler, then he will be a big star. We will find out on May 13, 2017, at UFC 211 when he fights Frankie Edgar. Boxing survives on the Hispanic market; if the Mexican Yair soars, he could bring a lot of new fans to the sport.

Francis N’Gannou, 30, could well be the next big thing, literally and figuratively. He just called out Cain Velasquez. If he does to Cain what he has done to everyone else in the UFC, then he will be a big star.

Cris Cyborg, 31, has been cleared to fight, and finally has a division she can fight in without damaging her internal organs. There is a real possibility of her emerging as combat sports’ female Tyson.

The Diaz Brothers: Nick, 33, and Nate, 31, own the hearts of the hardcore fanbase, move the needle, and want to make money. The UFC wants to make money. This should not be so difficult.

Stipe Miocic, 34, could be a big star, if he can break the UFC heavyweight curse. No heavyweight champion has ever successfully defended his title more than twice. If Miocic wins the rematch with Junior dos Santos at UFC 211, that puts him at two. One more, and he enters big star territory.

Cody Garbrandt, 25, is as real as it gets, and could develop into a big, big star. The Ultimate Fighter 1 saved MMA. Perhaps TUF 25 will see him emerge as a major PPV draw.

Like most upward movements, MMA is not growing in a straight line. It zigs when it should have zagged sometimes, and only in time does the growth become clear. So MMA is fine. But it needs some new stars, badly.

H/T Arash Markazi, ESPN