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When the UFC 178 kicked off, it was the third fight on the card that had the internet all a buzz.
For the last 12 months a brash Irish upstart from Dublin was calling out the elite of the featherweight division with complete such disdain and affable roguish charm it was hard not to take notice.
In a sport that leaves no questions about the courage and toughness of its draw cards, Conor McGregor has not only questioned the top-10 fighters individually but dismissed them. His intelligence and behind the microphone is evident, and like Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen before him, he is someone reporters cling to as a walking sound byte.
Joe Rogan commented that 10 per cent of the gate had been sold in Ireland for McGregor’s countrymen to make the journey across the pond and see him fight. he Irish showed up in such numbers it was as if Las Vegas was holding an extra St Patricks Day.
There is no doubt that McGregor is a good fighter. He is fluid and explosive at the same time. He is at home on his feet and with ground game wizard Gunnar Nelson as a training partner, there will likely be a significant skill set on the ground.
What was in doubt was how good. Mcgregor’s last three opponents in the UFC seemed to be completely outclassed. Then again most fighters do against a top ten prospect.
In a show of ultra-confidence McGregor has made a habit of calling the rounds he would knock opponents out and delivering to his predictions. He said he would knock-out Dustin Poirier in the first round – a fighter that had never been knocked out.
As the referee called a stop to the fight between fifth-ranked Poirer and McGregor in the second minute of the the first round, it was hard not to board the hype train.
This is a guy not only walking the walk but swaggering while doing it. He is talking trash, bamboozling opponents with footwork, calling rounds and fast tracking himself to a title shot. Sound familiar?
I’m not going out on a limb and saying he is the UFC’s Muhummad Ali, but there is undoubtedly something special in this Dubliner. So much so that UFC boss Dana White is calling him the biggest drawcard in the sport’s history.
“Conor McGregor is the real deal – he is legit,” White said on FOX Sports 1’s post-UFC 178 show. “He is a force that I have never seen ever. Bigger than Brock Lesnar when he was here. Bigger than any of the fighters we’ve ever had. Yes, (he’s bigger than Georges St-Pierre). I’ve never seen anything like this.”
In a sport constantly looking for drawcards for the casual fans, they seem to have unearthed one of their best yet.
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