Maybe this is another story board created by Conor and Dana to reboot Conor's MMA career hehehe.
Dana (i.e UFC) can survive without Conor (may be they'll lose a few hundred thousand Irish supporters). But can Conor survive without UFC? I don't know whether the rumors are true or not. If he is demanding the ownership shares, then I would say that he is bargaining too hard. Needs to be realistic about your demands...
Conor can survive comfortably hehehe. He made more the $100mil in his fighting career and he also has Proper no.12, his whisky distillery which is killing it according to Dana.
Also, why will Conor not buy the shares? Why does he want the UFC to give it to him as an offering?
I hope so, we have seen lots of sports personalities in the past who have lost all their fighting money. He has a lavish lifestyles, the cars, the houses, you need big money to maintained it. So I don't know if he can stay afloat with that if he stop his fighting career.
But the good thing is that he has a fall back though, like you said. His whisky business, will it bring enough money for him after he retired?
Probably wanted be a majority share holders, hehehe.