Can McGregor co-promote with the UFC? Couture says it was a ‘stumbling block with Fedor’

There is little doubt that Conor McGregor has an exceptional amount of leverage against the UFC brass.

The UFC featherweight champion knocked out the only previous undisputed 145-pound champ in UFC history, Jose Aldo, in 13 seconds to usurp the throne. The victory was just the latest in a long list of reasons why McGregor is likely the biggest star currently active on the roster.

However, despite McGregor’s rapidly rising stock, a former UFC champion, Randy Couture, is not convinced that McGregor will be able to promote himself as a separate entity from the UFC.

“Well I know that was a huge stumbling block with Fedor and trying to sign Fedor, back when I was pursuing that fight specifically as a contracted fighter with the UFC and that was the fight that I told them that I wanted,” Couture told Submission Radio. “I was ranked number two in the world; he was ranked number one in the world at the time. I know they negotiated with him for a long time, but M-1 Global wanted to do co-promotion, and they were kind of handling and managing, representing Fedor. And that was a stumbling block. They were like, ‘no we’re not going to put anybody else over. We don’t need another promotion, we don’t need a co-promotion, we’re the UFC and that’s it’.

Given the UFC’s bitter history with Fedor and M-1 Global, Couture can’t imagine a different scenario with McGregor if he decides to become his own promotional entity

“I would be very surprised if that happens. I would be interested to hear that conversation and how that would get by.”