Conor McGregor’s journey to superstardom really began to gather pace when the UFC allowed him to headline in his hometown.
In July 2014, MMA’s premier promotion returned to the Irish capital for the first time in five years after ‘Notorious’ made a splash early in his career with the company.
McGregor is the biggest name in UFC history and showed star power early on his careerCredit: Getty
Such was his attraction, the UFC allowed him to headline an event in just his third fight in his hometown in 2014Credit: Getty
Naturally, he featured in the main event, and tickets were quickly snapped up by fans eager to watch elite-level MMA at Dublin’s 3Arena – formerly known as The O2 Arena.
McGregor did not disappoint his compatriots as he delivered a first-round knockout.
The featherweight prospect edged closer to top competition by running through exciting veteran Diego Brandao inside five minutes.
‘Mystic Mac’ opened up with a spinning kick before getting into a brawl with the Brazilian as a massive “Ole!” football-style chant echoed around the arena.
McGregor showed off some of his often-criticized grappling skills, which recently earned him a BJJ Black Belt, as he landed ground-and-pound from top position.
Brandao got back to his feet but already looked spent and the future dual-weight champion could sense it as he went hunting for a quick finish.
McGregor threw a flurry of punches, elbows, and kicks as he chased his third UFC opponent around the Octagon before landing a spectacular shot.
The now-35-year-old cracked Brandao with a spinning back kick that dropped him to one knee and signalled the beginning of the end of UFC Dublin’s main event.
McGregor was simply too good and stopped the Brazilian inside one roundCredit: Getty
The proud Irishman hasn’t fought at home sinceCredit: Getty
Despite trying to fight fire with fire, Brandao found himself trapped against the fence before eating a big left-hand shot that finally floored him.
A few follow-up strikes were all referee Leon Roberts needed to see to wave off the fight and trigger wild celebrations from the Irish crowd.
Nine years later, the atmosphere at UFC Dublin is still unmatched.
However, Dana White has never brought his MMA league back to Ireland – even though McGregor is his biggest star and often talks about his desire to fight at Dublin’s 80,000-seater stadium, Croke Park.
Garry is a self-confessed McGregor fan who is on the cusp of big thingsCredit: Getty
It appears he will be White’s next Irish superstarCredit: getty
The UFC CEO recently promised a return to McGregor’s homeland in 2024 after the emergence of undefeated Irish welterweight contender Ian Garry.
A recent leak from lightweight veteran Jamie Mullarkey’s camp suggested a UFC Dublin card may happen a little bit sooner than expected.
On Sunday, HD Global Athlete Management broke the news that Mullarkey had signed a new deal with the company and suggested he would fight in Ireland this December.
The UFC is yet to comment on speculation about an imminent return to Dublin, but it’s known that they are keen to get Garry another fight before the end of 2023.
McGregor’s most recent sparring partner wanted to scrap with Stephen Thompson at UFC 295 on November 11, but ‘Wonderboy’ isn’t interested and may have inadvertently paved the way for an even bigger opportunity for Garry.
Only time will tell when the UFC will return to Dublin, but whenever they do the Irish MMA fans will almost certainly help deliver another historic night.