Irish fans don’t want ‘brutal and violent’ UFC event in Croke Park

Talk of a potential Conor McGregor fight inside Ireland’s Croke Park have always been something of a fantasy for the UFC and Irish fans.

Following McGregor’s win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194, Frankie Edgar stated that he would fight McGregor ‘anywhere’ which resulted in many to believe that McGregor vs. Edgar could go down inside Croke Park.

According to Vocal Residents’ Association chair Pat Gates, not everyone is in favor of McGregor fighting inside Croke Park.

He spoke to Irish Mirror:

“I don’t think it would be something that we would be very keen to see coming to Croke Park. Personally speaking, I think the fights are very brutal and violent. I’d be surprised if the GAA would endorse that sport. I don’t know the type of people that follow him and what sort of atmosphere there is in terms of rowdiness, in terms of public order, they are all the things that we would be seriously concerned about. I’m not speaking for all the residents but I don’t think it would go down well. It’s something we would have to discuss but we would have perennial issues with the type of crowds and what impact that is likely to have on the residents.”

Gates ultimately ended up saying that “money talks” which could ultimately play a big role in helping the UFC put on an event at Croke Park given the amount of money they would make from the gate of the event.

Only time will tell if we see a UFC event inside Croke Park.