Conor McGregor Still Believes That The Irish Will Flock To UFC 189

Despite the fact that reigning featherweight champion Jose Aldo pulled out of his scheduled UFC 189 mega fight with Irish phenom Conor McGregor, the “Notorious” one will remain on the card and in the main event, as he is set to take on late replacement, former title challenger Chad “Money” Mendes for an interim belt.

However, the fact that Aldo pulled out, doesn’t mean the Irish faithful won’t support their star. Speaking with MMAJunkie, the “Notorious” one said he believed around 2,500 fans were coming from Ireland, as well as the Irish from other parts of the world:

“The number, I believe, was 2,400 to 2,500 from Ireland in particular,” the Irish McGregor (17-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) said “But that doesn’t factor the Irish that are living in America and the Irish that are coming in from all other areas of the globe.

“But I believe 2,500 specifically from the island of Ireland.”

With Aldo vs. McGregor being the biggest fight of the year, of course fans, media members, the UFC, and McGregor himself are somewhat disappointed, but at the end of the day, the Irish Bad Boy doesn’t think too much about it, saying that it’s his show, and he will put on a show for the Irish:

“It’s the McGregor show,” he said. “As long as I’m on the show, they will show up. I look forward to putting on a show for my countrymen.”

Dave Sholler, UFC Vice President of Public Relations, also spoke on the topic, saying that he believed around 20% of ticket sales have come from Ireland. He also added that there have not been many refunds due to Aldo dropping out, and this percentage would indicate that over 2,200 tickets have been sold to the passionate Irish fans.

Well, despite the loss of the champion, it seems as if UFC 189 is still set to be one of the biggest events in recent memory. How do you see McGregor vs. Mendes playing out?