Conor McGregor, an Irish fighter who made a strong UFC debut on April 6, in Stockholm, Sweden, will make his U.S. debut on the Aug. 17 show in Boston against England’s Andy Ogle, according to UFC officials Friday.
McGregor (13-2), has only gone into the second round three times in his career and has 12 knockout wins and one submission win. In his UFC debut, he took Marcus Brimage apart with a series of uppercuts in a featherweight fight that only went 1:07, which won him knockout of the night honors.
Between his explosive hands and an interview that made a connection with the Swedish fans, he showed more charisma and crowd appeal than almost any UFC newcomer in recent memory. UFC President Dana White immediately announced he would put McGregor on the Boston show since the city has a strong Irish population base.
While untested against top level competition, his ten first-round wins and proven knockout power makes the 24-year-old an interesting prospect. If he can win consistently at the top level in UFC, he has the chance to be the kind of breakout star that the UFC’s featherweight division has lacked.
The Aug. 17 show in Boston, at the T.D. Garden, will air on the debut night of Fox Sports 1.
Ogle (9-2) will be a good test to see how he fares against mid-level UFC competition.
Ogle, a 23-year-old from Sunderland, England, was part of the cast of season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter. He came across as one of the most likeable fighters on the show, and is coming off dominating Josh Grispi in the second and third round en route to a decision win on Feb. 16 at Wembley Arena in London. This will be Ogle’s first official fight outside of the United Kingdom, although he fought three times at the UFC gym, winning twice, in Ultimate Fighter competition.