Irish-born fighter Conor McGregor made a great first impression with the UFC, and he already has his next fight booked on the same night he made his debut.
Without any definitive plans for the UFC to return to McGregor‘s homeland in Ireland, his next landing spot will be in an American city with plenty of Irish heritage.
UFC on Fox Sports 1 will land in Boston on August 17, and while UFC president Dana White rarely likes to book anything on the night of a fight card, it was a natural fit to slot McGregor on that show for his next bout.
“The answer is yes,” White said when asked about McGregor ending up on the Boston card at the UFC on Fuel 9 post-fight press conference.
A quarter of the people in Massachusetts claim Irish heritage, which is the highest in the United States. McGregor won’t be at home, but he’s certain to feel the love from the Boston crowd when he enters the Octagon in August.
As for his first night as a UFC fighter, McGregor will celebrate not just the win but the windfall that came with it.
According to the young fighter, prior to making his debut on Saturday, he was in dire financial straits living at home in Ireland. Now he has his contracted pay, a win bonus and an additional $60,000 for the “Knockout of the Night” at UFC on Fuel 9.
“I just got $60,000, I’m thinking of what I’m going to spend it on. Just last week I was connecting to social welfare,” McGregor revealed at the post-fight press conference. “I didn’t have money before this.
“Like I said, I was collecting 188 euro a week off the social welfare and here I am with like 60 G’s bonus and then my own pay. I don’t know what the f—k’s going on to be honest. This is the biggest one all right.”
While his fight was part of the Facebook preliminary portion of the show, McGregor received the attention of a main event fighter throughout the night and even at the press conference.
Now the UFC not only has a popular and charismatic Irishman on its roster—it also happens to have a very good featherweight as well.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
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