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MCGREGOR'S DUBLIN FRUSTRATIONS FAIL TO CONVINCE DANA WHITE TO TAKE A RISK

Having almost single-handedly dragged the UFC back to Dublin, Conor McGregor always made it known that he would do everything he could to make sure he was on the card. But as we edge closer to the second event at the 3Arena in Ireland's capital in a little over a year, the closest McGregor will be getting to the Octagon in his home town will be his front-row seat alongside Dana White and one or two of the Fertitta brothers.

With two of his former and potential future opponents headlining the event in Joe Duffy taking on Dustin Poirier, even though McGregor isn't fighting on October 24, you better believe he'll be playing a massive role in what looks set to be another roof-raising event in Dublin, much like he did during the UFC's world tour earlier this year.

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The right call?

With his long-awaited, rearranged featherweight title unification clash against Jose Aldo coming up in December at UFC 194, it was always going to be a tough ask for McGregor to convince Dana White and the rest of the organisation's decision makers to allow him to fit a fight in before meeting the long-time Brazilian king of the division. At 5/9 at the time of writing with 32Red to beat Aldo on December 12 and unify the division, the interim champion will now have to focus on getting himself ready for what could be the biggest fight in the UFC's history.

Having managed to save the main event at UFC 189 in July following Aldo's late withdrawal with a rib injury, another significant sum of money has been spent on UFC 194. There was little sense in risking the whole event by letting McGregor fight less than two months before. He might be carrying a belt, but it won't be until he beats Aldo that many view him as the real king of the 145lbs division. That's why this fight has been so tough to call for UFC experts and punters betting with the likes of 32Red, 888Sport and others.

The most obvious match-up would have been for the Irishman to face Urijah Faber, if he'd been given the go-ahead to fight on the Dublin card. The two are currently rival coaches on the latest season of the Ultimate Fighter, and the duo have had a number of run-ins over the past 12 months. But while the Team Alpha Male captain has lost five title fights during his time under the Zuffa banner, Faber has proven throughout his career that he is more than capable of stopping a roaring contender in their tracks.  

Does the event need McGregor?

The simple fact is that while the UFC needed someone like the Notorious One to headline a card when it returned to Dublin in July of 2014 following a five-year wait, the popularity of mixed-martial arts on the Emerald Isle is such that even a Conor-less card was always going sell-out in minutes. The UFC, which recently announced plans to stage three events in Canada next year, has continued to grow in Ireland over the past two years. As well as the presence of McGregor's popular SBG team-mates, Paddy Holohan, Cathal Pendred and Aisling Daly, a number of fascinating bouts featuring Irish stars made this an easy sell for the UFC.

In the co-main event, Ben Rothwell will take on Stipe Miocic in what many are seeing as a number-one contender clash in the heavyweight division. Rothwell is coming into the fight off the back of a three-fight winning streak while Miocic has won four off his last five, with his only loss coming in a close-fought points defeat to Junior dos Santos. But perhaps the most eagerly anticipated fight on the card is the main event, in which Joe Duffy will meet Dustin Poirier in the lightweight division. 

Irish Joe has been on a tear since arriving in the UFC, living up to much of the hype that has surrounded the last man to beat Conor McGregor. While the more famous of the two Irish's fighters has come a long way since losing via submission to Duffy in less than 40 seconds in 2010, there is a great deal of mystique around a man who has picked up two dominant stoppage wins in his two fights in the Octagon. With a potential rematch with McGregor seemingly inevitable should Duffy keep winning, that all-Ireland match-up could be a lot closer than many think if Duffy can continue to take apart his opponents between now and then.

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