It was television that led William Morris Endeavor to purchase the Ultimate Fighting Championship. They believed there would be a wild bidding war for the UFC's television rights package that would lead to an improvement of anywhere from $250 million to $300 million per year over the current deal.
The engine powering that new contract, and perhaps the reason WME-IMG spent such an exorbitant amount with such confidence, was the presence of two galactic superstars: Ronda Rousey (a WME client for her nascent Hollywood career) and Conor McGregor, the brash and talented Irishman who forced his way to the top through visualization, hard work and a willingness to say and do just about anything in service of promoting himself.