Conor McGregor is reportedly in the process of planning a massive UFC Dublin fight in the aftermath of the Khabib Nurmagomedov defeat in Las Vegas.
McGregor is apparently relishing a return to his hometown after his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov — but it will probably have to happen in the early hours of the morning.
According to The Irish Sun, the MMA Superstar, who pocketed himself up to $50 million for his Las Vegas defeat, has close advisers already plotting an Irish return.
Moreover, The Notorious, who was supported by rapper Drake before stepping into the Vegas Octagon, won’t have any objections from Dublin City Council.
The last time McGregor fought in Ireland was at a UFC show in Dublin’s 3Arena, where the crowd smashed the venue’s record capacity.
A spokesperson told Fox Sports said: “We would welcome the UFC and Conor McGregor back any time.”
However, the main issue is a timezone clash for pay-per-view buyers in the United States.
Thousands of fight fans will have to stay up into the early hours to watch McGregor prove he is still the UFC’s biggest draw when it comes to selling pay per views.
Fighting at 10 pm Irish time would put a significant dent in their sales because it would be too early in the day in the US.
However, UFC boss Dana White had already overcome this problem in the UK when their champion Michael Bisping fought in Manchester in the middle of the night.
When the middleweight champ took to the ring, the time was around 5 am local time, with the undercard kicking off at the 20,000-seater Manchester Arena at 11 pm.
The bizarrely-timed event allowed the fight to be shown at the usual PPV times in the USA, but the UK fans had to watch it live at 5 am. I’m sure there were a few tired people in the crowd!
It is understood that option is now being examined for Dublin. Moreover, a spokesman for Dublin City Council told the Irish Sun that no special licence would be required for an indoor event.
He said: “No licence is required for an indoor event from Dublin City Council.
“The venue would, however, be bound by any conditions associated with planning permissions attached to the venue.”
We will have to wait and see if this idea becomes a reality but wouldn’t it be great!
