2016 was definitely an outstanding year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship with a lot of company records broken last year and with the emergence of news champions in different divisions. However, 2017 is shrouded by uncertainty as Conor McGregor is having a hiatus at an unknown time while UFC's former biggest star in Ronda Rousey suffered her biggest defeat in her MMA career.
McGregor became UFC's cash cow in 2016 as the mixed martial arts promotion broke pay per view buy records and gate attendance. At UFC 205, McGregor made history by becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold two belts in two different divisions simultaneously. The Irish fighter was not the only one to make history as UFC recorded a company-high 1.6 buys in pay per view while breaking that gate record of the Madison Square Garden with $17.7 million in ticket revenue.
However, McGregor expressed his desire to be away from the sport to attend to his pregnant wife who will give birth to their first baby sometime in May. UFC president Dana White talked to the media and said that the Irish fighter asked him that McGregor would be out for 10 months at least, SB Nation's Bloody Elbow reported.
Meanwhile, there is doubt if Rousey will return in the UFC after suffering a 48-second technical knockout from Amanda Nunez in their UFC 207 bantamweight title fight. Rousey did not hide the fact that she became suicidal after losing the belt to Holly Holm in November 2015 and she expressed that the Nunes fight would be one of her last but after losing, it might already be her last.
White, who appeared in ESPN's "SportsCenter," said that Rousey was in "better spirits" this time than her loss to Holm but admitted she does not know what the future holds for his former champion, MMA Junkie reported. White added that whether 'Rowdy' comes back or not, she is the reason why the women's division in the UFC is in its state right now.
Watch the video below to see the 10 dream fights in the UFC for 2017: