UFC interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor can have his dream fight in his native Ireland, if the the 27-year-old defeats Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 194 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on 12 December.
UFC president Dana White confirmed on Thursday that the Croke Park stadium in Ireland could potentially host a bout featuring McGregor, if he becomes the new UFC featherweight champion, after beating Aldo.
White had previously also zeroed in on the Croke Park Stadium as a potential destination for a UFC fight card, but owing to bad weather conditions in Dublin as well as the major time difference, none of the fight cards could be scheduled.
However, with the growing popularity of the Irish fighter and his recent ability to pull in major crowds, while also smashing pay-per-view records, White feels that the stadium in Ireland, which can host over 80,000 spectators, could become one of the most-watched UFC events in the future.
"If he beats Jose Aldo in Las Vegas in December, the next fight will be in Croke Park," White said in Australia. "We told him he could defend his title at Croke Park."
"Ronda [Rousey] is definitely the biggest star that we have in the UFC, but Conor is nipping at her heels, that's for sure, especially in Australia." White said. "His last fight in Las Vegas, eight percent of ticket sales went to Australia. That's a massive number. So it's crazy."
The bad blood between McGregor and Aldo have been on the rise ever since the former defeated Chad Mendes in the main event of UFC 189. The Irishman was initially supposed to face the Brazilian in the main event, but a rib injury forced Aldo out of the fight two weeks back.
Mendes replaced Aldo and lost to McGregor via a second-round TKO (technical knockout) in the interim title matchup.
Both McGregor and Aldo came to blows at UFC's 'Go Big' press conference earlier this month. "People are always saying about 'the talk and I talk and I talk and I talk'. But guess f***** what? I back it up! I back it up!," McGregor stated. [Watch the video HERE].
Meanwhile, UFC featherweight champion Aldo posted a photo of himself holding up a certificate from the United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA), and called out McGregor.
