Rihanna’s performance at Super Bowl LVII received mixed reviews, with some fans praising her electrifying show and announcement of her pregnancy, while critics accused her of lip-syncing through her performance. Despite not performing solo since 2016, Rihanna cycled through a medley of her greatest hits in just 13 minutes.
But majority of MMA fans are still preoccupied with the epic UFC 284 main event along with the return of Jon Jones and Conor McGregor. Arguably two of the biggest UFC stars were sidelined for more than a year.
In a recent interview with Fox Sport Radio, UFC head honcho Dana White was asked about how important McGregor’s return to him and the organization.
“When you have a guy who’s a major global superstar, it’s always great when he comes back, you know what I mean? He has become one of those guys like The Rock (Dwayne Joghnson).” White answered.
He took an example of The Rock’s return to WWE and how lucrative it was for WWE. White believes that the same thing will apply to the UFC.
“The Rock is out doing business deals and all that stuff and when he comes back to the WWE it’s a big deal and everybody gets excited about it. That’s really how Conor has become for us. So for him to come back this year, it’s a big deal for us.” White explained.
But another interesting nugget resurfaced in the light of Rihanna’s superbowl performance.
At the UFC 189 card, there were plans for Rihanna to perform for Jose Aldo’s walkout, but these plans never materialized as Aldo had to withdraw from the fight due to a fractured rib. Instead, Sinead O’Connor and Aaron Lewis performed for Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes, respectively.
As luck would have it, McGregor would end up moving up a division and a rematch never materialized. At that event, UFC unveiled their reebok partnership and the sport changed forever with UFC now preventing athletes from having their own sponsors.
Live performances for walk outs never took off and were ultimately abandoned.