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Euro 2016 Qualification Could Hinder Irish Support at UFC 200

Next summer, Irish fans might be forced to choose between Euro 2016 and UFC 200 as both the national soccer team and Conor McGregor could be set to contest crucial fixtures.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Irish bars were packed on Sunday as both the country's international rugby and soccer teams contested crucial ties. The Irish rugby team managed to take a sound victory over the French in the group stages of the Rugby World Cup, and although the soccer team came up short against the Polish, their chances of qualification remain intact as they will playoff for a spot in the European Championships next month.

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For the Irish, the most iconic sporting occasions have undoubtedly come about with their soccer team. While Gaelic football and hurling victories can produce great celebrations in individual counties, it's always been the exploits of the Irish soccer team that has grabbed the attention of the nation as a whole.

Throughout Conor McGregor's UFC tenure parallels have been drawn between the infamous travelling support 'The Boys in Green' received during World Cup Italia '90 and USA '94, and although the Irish support is nearly guaranteed at UFC 194 on December 12, should the Irish soccer team succeed in their playoff bid to reach the European championships in France next summer, UFC 200 could take a significant knock as the Irish might be forced to choose between 'The Notorious' and Martin O'Neill's Green Army.

UFC 200 is set to take place in the new MGM-AEG Arena, which will hold 20,000 spectators, in July next year and many are billing the event to be the biggest in the history of UFC. Given that forecast, it is very likely that UFC will try to lock down one of their biggest stars for the date, Irish interim featherweight champion McGregor.

On Ariel Helwani's 300th episode of The MMA Hour, McGregor underlined his interest in competing at the event.

"I feel (like it will be) Jose in December, maybe Croke Park in April or May and then in July, UFC 200," McGregor told Helwani. "Maybe it will be a defense of the lightweight belt or maybe it will be a fight for the lightweight belt. I don't know, there are many great fights, there are many great fights brewing. There are big numbers to be made in the future and I want to continue to rack them up. I'm enjoying the ride."

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Dana White revealed the travelling Irish had a $200 million impact on Las Vegas when they made the trek to UFC 189 in July to see McGregor lift the interim title after his second round dispatch of Chad Mendes, and should 'The Notorious' get matched for the card, 'Sin City' will probably be expecting a similar chunk of change to be dropped.

"The Conor McGregor fight that we had (in Vegas) had a $200 million dollar impact on the city of Las Vegas," said White in the weeks following UFC 189. "That's before gaming, that's before people take one dollar out of their pocket and put it down to gamble. We had a $200 million dollar impact."

Five thousand fans reportedly traveled to Euro 2012, held in Poland and the Ukraine, to see the Republic of Ireland contest the group stages of the tournament. Even though the Irish were beaten in all three of their matches against Croatia, Spain and Italy, the fans stood by their side and sang themselves hoarse despite the team's lack of success. UEFA praised the fans of the Irish during the tournament and the president of the organization Michel Platini was so moved by the passionate support that it was suggested that he would visit the Emerald Isle to present the country with an award.

With Euro 2016 set to take place between June and July, Irish fans could be forced to choose between the soccer team and McGregor should he be matched for UFC 200. Considering the expense to travel to both events, the number of fans that could potentially be present at both Euro 2016 and UFC 200 would be few and far between.

The European championships have some things working in its favor when it comes to appealing to the Irish fan base. Euro 2016 will be hosted by France, which means the fans would only have to travel for roughly two hours to make it to the competition. On top of that, the supporters will be guaranteed to see their team in action at least three times before their probable elimination. To add to that, the popularity of soccer in Ireland far outweighs the appeal for MMA, which should also play a big part in fans' decisions. France also shares the same currency as Ireland, and while that probably won't be a determining factor for the fans, it is certainly more convenient.

Should McGregor get his wish and get a spot on the UFC 200 card, the event would certainly be another opportunity to measure his popularity. 'The Notorious' single-handedly has brought MMA into the Irish mainstream, and as his previous showings under the UFC banner have proven, the Irish have no problem spending significant amounts of money to see the featherweight knockout artist go about his business. One thing is for sure, McGregor will rise to the occasion in the lead up to UFC 200 should he get a spot and the card, and as we have seen before, the Dubliner's marketing skills are second to none when it comes to putting asses in seats.