Conor McGregor still wants to fight at Croker but it will not be any time soon.
For the first time in a long time, at the UFC 197 press conference, the topic of a Conor McGregor fight at Croke Park was raised.
UFC president Dana White had, several times in 2015, stated that McGregor would get his Croke Park dream if he defeated Jose Aldo.
‘The Notorious’ did so in 13 seconds but talk of GAA headquarters has been scarce since then.
Ahead of his March 5 title lightweight fight with Rafael dos Anjos, McGregor was asked if he would get a chance to fight in Dublin this year. He replied:
“I don’t know. I mean… I don’t know.
“I do crave my stadium fight in Dublin but I have to roll with the punches here.
“It’s an operation to set up a stadium show like that. There are restrictions, there are limitations. They’ve pulled concerts [Garth Brooks in 2014] from the venue previously so it is a risk to go in and do something like that.”
“[But] when I’m just knocking them out so smoothly,” he added,”I’ll keep rolling, back-to-back-to-back. I will get back to Dublin, we will do the show, but it takes time. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
“I look forward to, one day, having my home country lit up with a stadium show but it is a work in progress.”
McGregor categorically declared, too, that he would be fresh enough after fighting RDA to make the main card for July’s whopper UFC 200.
He said, “I believe in absolutely everything, I believe that inside one minute I will dust him. I will exit the contest fresh, I will cash the cheque, I will sign the next contract for UFC 200, at the brand new MGM, and we’ll go again.”
