There are two nights that will forever stand out as landmark events in the history of Irish mixed martial arts and they were separated by 357 days.
The most recent came last Saturday night when Conor McGregor brought UFC gold back to Dublin for the first time and, although it may just be an interim title, it will go down as a brilliant beacon for Irish fighters.
It’s been eight days since that monumental main event and we find ourselves on the one-year anniversary of the UFC’s second trip to Dublin.
On July 19 2014, the Irish enjoyed a clean sweep of victories to let the MMA world know that there was a lot more to us than a mouthy featherweight with a chest tattoo.
A year on, we take a look at how the Irish contingent are representing our tiny island in the UFC and are doing so with unprecedented aplomb.
Paddy Holohan has gone 3-1 in the UFC since his promotional debut last July to cement himself as a genuine contender in the UFC’s flyweight division.
The creative and unorthodox striking of The Hooligan makes him one of the most entertaining fighters to watch but it is his elite grappling game that has stood out most, particularly his domination of submission specialist Vaughan Lee on the ground at UFC Glasgow last night.
A top 15 place at 125lbs likely awaits Holohan and with another victory or two, we could be looking at Ireland’s second title shot in the world’s biggest MMA promotion.
Aisling Daly didn’t feature at UFC Dublin because filming had begun for The Ultimate Fighter: Season 20 but she exploded onto the strawweight division with a first round submission of castmate Alex Chambers at the finale.
Ais the Bash came unstuck against Randa Markos in her second bout with the promotion and hasn’t fought since April but will be itching to get onto the card of UFC Dublin III where a win will have her knocking at the door of the top 10 and, in a division as young as the 115lb weight class, all it takes is an impressive performance or two to be within title contention.
Neil Seery was emerging as a real coup for the UFC after rebounding from his admirable defeat to Brad Pickett by outboxing both Phil Harris and Chris Beal en route to lopsided decision victories at flyweight.
2 Tap would have almost certainly been looking at a ranked opponent next time around if not for his defeat last weekend when he was outgrappled in a grudge match with Louis Smolka.
The next time we see Seery he will be 36 and the UFC wouldn’t be criticised for matching him up with strikers from here on out if it’s exciting fights that they’re after.
Irish Joe Duffy was still far off his UFC debut when the octagon landed on the Liffey last summer but his run in the promotion since getting the shout is reminiscent of Conor McGregor’s.
Donegal’s Duffy looked every bit the professional boxer when he destroyed Jake Lindsey in 110 seconds back in March before showing off a sterling ground game by slapping a triangle on Ivan Jorge last night and getting the tap after three minutes.
Not making excuses but Paul Redmond will feel hard done by following his two defeats in the UFC but Redser undeniably faced the toughest challenges in his bouts than any other Irish fighter thus far.
He was forced to cut 30 lbs on short notice to face the supremely talented Mirsad Bektic in his UFC debut so a loss wasn’t exactly surprising.
And he was tasked with fighting hometown favourite Robert Whiteford at UFC Glasgow last night when he fell victim to a first round TKO but, with another fight on his contract, Redmond will be offered a more realistic fight at UFC Dublin III, you’d imagine.
Norman Parke may hail from Bushmills, Antrim and own a Northern Ireland passport but he’ll always be considered an Irishman in the UFC and will always feature on an Irish card.
UFC Dublin saw Parke stretch his undefeated streak to 11 when the lightweight finished Naoyuki Kotani via TKO in the second but his momentum has since halted by suffering two split decision defeats to Brazil’s Gleison Tibau and Francisco Trinaldo.
The 155lb division is unarguably the most stacked weight class in the UFC but Stormin’ is a true talent and will never be in danger of being cut from the promotion.
Cathal Pendred had quietly racked up a 4-0 record in the welterweight division before suffering his first defeat in five years when John Howard was awarded a split decision over the Dubliner at UFC 189.
The Punisher has come in for criticism for not possessing the most technical striking at 170lbs but, to be fair, Pendred has acknowledged that and revealed his plans to take a break from MMA to pursue a professional boxing bout in order to improve his stand-up.
He may not have a style as pretty as teammate Conor McGregor but he’s very effective in grinding out decision victories over opponents with his come-forward, smothering pressure.
Conor McGregor, ever heard of him?
The Louis Copeland clad, tattooed figure of The Notorious is leading the line for Irish fighters with the tricolour perpetually draped across his shoulders.
The Dub has gone from the best in Ireland, to the best in Europe and now finds himself as one of the best featherweights in the world and the amount of money that the UFC has pumped into him shows how much they value him.
It’s a toss-up between he and Ronda Rousey for who is the biggest draw in the sport but you’d have to say that, if McGregor manages to unify the 145lb title against Jose Aldo then he will stand alone as the biggest name in mixed martial arts.
