Does McGregor Deserve The Credit For Rise Of Irish MMA?

As we move on from last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 59, we can truly begin to appreciate the spectacle that was seen. The event went down on January 18, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts, and the TD Garden was bombarded with green, as Irish Americans and Ireland’s own came out to support their fighting Irish.

The fighting Irish trio from John Kavanaugh’s Straight Blast Gym in Dublin was in action, with Paddy “The Hooligan” Holohan and Cathal Pendred performing on the prelims, and of course Irish sensation “The Notorious” Conor McGregor headlining the blockbuster show.

If you can deal with the brash trash talk and the outspoken personality of McGregor, he is truly something special. “The Notorious” one debuted in the UFC in 2013 scoring a first round knockout over Marcus Brimage in Stockholm, Sweden. In just his second fight, the fighting pride of Ireland received the blackout treatment on the prelims in Boston as he took on Max Holloway at UFC Fight Night 26. Although he injured his knee in the fight, McGregor continued to piece up the Hawaiian and scored a decision win.

After spending almost 12 months on the shelf, he returned from injury and in just his third fight in the UFC, he main evented a Fight Pass card against Diego Brandao in his hometown of Dublin, and scored yet another first round knockout. Following this huge win, McGregor made his Las Vegas debut at UFC 178, taking on top contender Dustin Poirier and unsurprisingly, knocked out “The Diamond” in the very first round. On top of that, 10% of ticket sales came from Ireland for this pay-per-view (PPV) which shows the star power of “The Notorious.”

Now participating in his fifth UFC bout this past weekend, McGregor was back in the main event spot and absolutely demolished Dennis Siver to score a second-round TKO. This time around, 12% of ticket sales came from Ireland for the card and the event broke the record for viewership on FOX Sports 1.

Obviously, The Irish Bad Boy has the fighting skills and the personality that intrigues fans, but there is more to him. The man, in my opinion, is singlehandedly causing a triumphant rise of MMA in Ireland. The Irish are known for having fighting in their blood, and are known to be huge fight fans. Their love for fighting dates back to old school boxing days when stars like Jack Dempsey and Barry McGuigan held the love of the Irish faithful.

McGregor is their modern day fighting hero and the whole country is behind him, which is something rarely seen in today’s world of combat sports. My question is, however, does he deserve all of the credit for the rise of Irish MMA, because of course his teammates, “The Hooligan” and Pendred competed on this past weekend’s card, as well as the Dublin card, alongside McGregor. It is with his teammates that I believe it is seen how responsible McGregor is for the growing support of the sport in Ireland.

With no disrespect intended, Holohan and Pendred are loved by the Irish faithful, but they are just not on the level that McGregor is, plain and simple. Both men are skilled, well-rounded rising fighters, but at the moment they’re simply unranked average competitors, yet take a look at the recognition and support they are receiving. Holohan is 2-1 in the UFC, while Pendred is 3-0, but many thought he actually lost at UFC Fight Night 59.

Of course the Irish are going to support their own, but I’d like to think most fight fans around the world know these two by now. Once again, no disrespect intended, but most fighters at the level of Holohan and Pendred just don’t get this much exposure, and I truly believe McGregor is responsible for this.

Would so many Irish have come to Boston if McGregor was not headlining the card? I would have to think they wouldn’t. They would have, without a doubt, supported the other Irishmen, but the ticket sales from Ireland would have been less in my opinion. This fact was proved at UFC 178. “The Notorious” was the only Irishmen on the card and 10% of ticket sales still came from Ireland. They are coming to see the phenomenon that is Conor McGregor.

Whether you hate him or love him, odds are you are itching to see McGregor in action and as a result fans are starting to love his Irish counterparts, the passionate Irish fans, and the sea of green that comes along with it all. Do you think McGregor deserves all of the credit for the rise of Irish MMA?

No matter your opinion, I suggest you sit back and watch McGregor and the Irish invasion as it continues; it is truly a terrific sight.