All week our MMA writers have been wondering about what tonight’s card means to the Irish fighters and while it’s very much a game of well thought out guesses for Paddy Holohan, Norman Parke and Cathal Pendred, there are exactly zero doubt as to what’s on the line for the main man … Conor McGregor.
The UFC brass have made it abundantly clear that should McGregor get past Dennis Siver tonight that a shot at Jose Aldo‘s belt will be next for the Irishman.
So just 25 minutes stands in the way of “The Notorious” and his chance to give the dominant Brazilian, and arguably the pound-for-pound best in the world, a run for his money.
But one little German matter also stands in his way and his name is Dennis Siver.
Siver is a 6/1 underdog against McGregor but don’t be fooled as we must remember that upsets happen all the time in the sport of mixed martial arts and we’re not just talking about a lucky punch catching out a better fighter.
Just seven months ago, the bantamweight belt changed hands when TJ Dillashaw (who was the exact same odds as Siver is at the time of writing) dominated former champion Renan Barao (who many considered the best fighter in any weight division) over five rounds before finally finishing the rocked Brazilian so stranger things than a Siver win have happened.
Dennis Siver is a true veteran of the sport of MMA and has been fighting exclusively with the UFC for over five years now, with 18 fights to his name under the UFC banner.
Siver (22-9-1NC) has looked far from a pushover since his drop to the featherweight division, seeing off Diego Nunes, Nam Phan and Charles Rosa since the move.
The Mannheim fighter also earned a unanimous decision over the hugely tough Manny Gamburyan before the victory was turned to a no-contest after Siver tested positive for a banned substance after the fight.
But if that unfortunate incident had never occurred then Dennis Siver would have four unanimous decision wins under his belt in one of the sport’s most competitive divisions.
His only true loss came against Cub Swanson, who is currently ranked at #4 in the UFC featherweight rankings (ahead of the #5 McGregor), when he was TKO’d in the third round.
Any fighter who has the aforementioned results at 145lbs, even lasting until the final round against a beast like Swanson, is a genuine threat when it comes to a mixed martial arts contest.
Now, while Siver has been quietly going about his business since his drop from lightweight, a certain Irishman by the name of Conor McGregor has been tearing the division apart.
After making waves (not just any ol’ waves but The Perfect Storm style waves) in Europe by conquering both the featherweight and lightweight divisions in Cage Warriors, Conor McGregor was signed to fight for the UFC.
The Dubliner made his promotional debut just over a year and a half ago against The Ultimate Fighter 14 veteran Marcus Brimage, who found himself struggling with consciousness after being caught by a stunning succession of McGregor uppercuts.
“The Notorious” was then matched up with one of the organisations top prospects in Max Holloway.
The Hawaiian fared a bit better against McGregor, largely due to the fact that the Irishman tore his ACL in the bout and maintained a grappling-oriented gameplan. Despite being awarded the unanimous decision, McGregor was visibly disappointed in his failure to finish Holloway but still moved to 2-0 in his new workplace.
Then came UFC Dublin.
Conor McGregor faced the impassioned TUF vet Diego Brandao at the O2 Arena in Dublin. The Brazilian grappling expert was seen as a true test of Conor’s mettle in the UFC but McGregor passed with flying colours after finishing the Brazilian with strikes in the first round.
The UFC then made the decision to match McGregor up with a true featherweight contender in Dustin Poirier, who was also on a three-fight winning streak after seeing off Erik Koch, Brandao and Akira Corassani.
Again McGregor didn’t require a second round as he finished “The Diamond” within two minutes to lift him to fifth in the official UFC rankings.
So here we are, a young up-and-c0mer against one of the most experienced men in the sport with a title shot very explicitly on the line.
But what happens if McGregor does happen to fall at the final hurdle and lose to Siver?
More than likely he’ll drop down a place or two in the featherweight rankings and be matched up with somebody like a Cub Swanson or a Chad Mendes in order to get himself back into contention while Frankie Edgar is awarded the next title shot.
But, realistically, we don’t see that happening. You could make the argument that all of McGregor’s UFC opponents (maybe excluding Marcus Brimage) have been more dangerous than Dennis Siver is right now so a “Notorious” win and subsequent championship bout seem to be a certainty come tomorrow morning.
