If you take a look at this site: http://www.kooaba.com/ - there are some external links ("As seen on" section) for which there are no rollovers. These links, however, do not lead user down in the funnel (they do not lead to conversion point, even though they may boost the conversion anyway).
In general, providing no rollover for a link is bad UX. On the other hand, degrading some elements to emphasise the other is a common way to shape the user journey towards the conversion point. This degradation, however, can be achieved using other methods (different placement, smaller font etc.).
So the question is: is it ok to use bad UX to provide better conversion? Or is it going too far?
Please, share your thoughts.