Dana White has addressed the challenges that have prevented a much-anticipated Conor McGregor fight at Croke Park in Dublin over the years. The Crumlin native has not fought on Irish soil in a decade, with his last appearance being against Diego Brandao at the 3Arena in 2014.
Discussing the long-standing desire for a McGregor homecoming, White noted that it has become somewhat of a running joke when asked about an event at Croker. As far back as UFC 205 in 2016, White had mentioned, “We talk about Croke Park, we’ve been talking about that forever,” reflecting the calls for a significant fight in the GAA’s home stadium.
Despite White’s and other officials’ promises, Irish fight fans continue to await an announcement. Now, a decade later, White has reiterated his intentions to bring the UFC to Drumcondra. In an interview with Off The Ball, he explained the obstacles that have hindered the proposed event.
“I’ve been trying to do Croke Park for a long time with Conor McGregor, but we couldn’t get it done because they wouldn’t keep the public transportation open. They had a curfew on us. There were lots of things that made it tough,” he said.
Last month, the UFC held a successful event in Manchester featuring three Irish fighters—Shauna Bannon, Kiefer Crosbie, and Caolan Loughran. The show was scheduled at American PPV times, resulting in the main card starting at 3 AM local time. A similar scenario would likely occur for a McGregor event at Croke Park.
McGregor isn’t the only Irish fighter linked to a major bout at the stadium. Katie Taylor’s rematch with Amanda Serrano was considered for a Dublin date, but the Bray icon will instead fight in Texas later this year as part of the undercard for the Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight.
Credit: Joe sports
