Dublin’s Conor McGregor made an immediate splash in his UFC debut on Saturday, as he made short work of Marcus Brimage at UFC on Fuel 9 in Stockholm, Sweden.
The one minute, seven second knockout seems a signal the company could finally have the Irish star it has long sought. But with no UFC events booked on the Emerald Isle for the foreseeable future, the company will do the next best thing. UFC president Dana White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference that the featherweight will next appear in America’s most Irish city, Boston.
While no opponent was named, White confirmed McGregor will appear on the UFC on Fox Sports 1 event at the TD Garden in Boston on Aug. 17.
“The answer is yes, you’re going to ask if I’m going to put McGregor on that card,” White said, anticipating a reporter’s question about whether McGregor will fight in Boston.
The bout with Brimage was fast and furious, as Brimage came out swinging. He tagged McGregor, but McGregor responded with poise, cutting off the angles and effectively counterstriking. McGregor finished Brimage off soon thereafter and improved to 13-2 with 12 knockouts.
Asked where the victory stands among his career highlights, McGregor, who pocketed a $60,000 knockout of the night bonus, said “Its up there. Its the UFC debut, so yes, its the best one so far obviously. I’m making money here, I didn’t have money before this, you know. Like I said, I was collecting 180 Euros a week off the social welfare and here I am and I’ve got 60 Gs bonus and my own pay, I don’t know what the f— is going on to be honest. This is the biggest one, yes.”
White said he was most impressed by McGregor’s poise in the Octagon.
“I’m blown away. First of all, it’s his first fight ever in the UFC, he walks out tonight and got in the Octagon like it was his hundredth fight in the UFC. From the minute the bell started, he was nice and relaxed and moved around, and even after he gets the knockout, it’s like he’s been here before and done it 100 times. Kid was totally relaxed, he’s a beast, I’m impressed.”