Irish MMA Stars Looking To Replicate McGregor’s Success

When it comes to Irish MMA stars, there are none as exciting as Conor McGregor. Back in 2014, he managed to defeat Diego Brandao at the Dublin O2 Arena. At that point, he became a famous name in the MMA scene, and went on to become the very first “Champ Champ”.

At that fight in 2014, five different Irish MMA fighters managed to win their matchups as well. At this point, it looked like Irish fighters were going to become the biggest names in MMA, but since then we haven’t seen the same success from them. This has been especially disappointing for those in the betting scene, who were hoping to see more from Irish Fighters. Irish bookmakers seen at Betfree.ie offer betting on pretty much every MMA event, but unfortunately at the moment not many Irish stars are listed. With MMA becoming a bigger deal and no one in betting, Irish punters want to bet on the home fighters.

Now though, there are several different MMA fighters who are looking to replicate that success and become the top names in the sport. Here are just some of these fighters that you need to be watching right now.

Rhys McKee

Hailing from Northern Ireland, McKee debuted in the UFC in 2020, after starting his career in 2015. He started off strong, with a 10 – 4 record and remaining undefeated in his first year. He ended up losing back-to-back fights, which did dent confidence in what he could do. However, the UFC still backed him, seeing the potential that he had to offer.

That gamble for them paid off, as he returned to Cage Warriors and won three straight fights. Him being resigned by the UFC.

In his latest fight in 2023, he did lose to Ange Loosa. However, he does have a fight coming up against Chidi Njokuani in March 2024. Hopefully, he will pull it out of the bag to show just what he is capable of.

Charlie Ward

Charlie Ward is one of the more controversial fighters on this list.  In 2016, his opponent Joao Carvalho died after sustaining injuries in the ring with him. In 2017, he violently confronted referee Marc Goddard, after Goddard jumped into to cage for an unsanctioned celebration with Ward.

Ward did have a contract with UFC, but he was released from the promotion after two losses. This didn’t stop him though, as he still has racked up the wins against some of the best fighters in the scene right now. He did sustain another loss in his most recent bout at Bellator 291 in Dublin.

Despite these controversies and losses, he does have an impressive record, and the UFC fans feel that he has an exciting fighting style. Right now, it is actually unsure whether he will be able to keep fighting, after the PFL-Bellator merger. However, he is still signed to Bellator, and he has no plans to stop fighting.

Ian Machado Garry

Garry has an excellent flight style, allowing him to control his range and distance easily. He actually saw McGregor enter the USC when he was 10 years old, leading to him starting boxing and learning judo as well. He actually earned his black belt when he was 18 years old, and then became an MMA fighter when he was at college at 19, and found that college life did not interest him.

He started out in Cage Warriors, and then debuted in the UFC in 2021 after he became one of the most talked about fighters not with them. He started with a 7-0 record, and has remained unbeaten ever since. Because of this, it’s not hard to see why he is seen as one of the best Irish fighters around.

While his fighting style is excellent, he is known for his outlandish life outside of the ring. This is especially has come up in feuds, especially with Sean Strickland and Colby Covington. Despite this, he is still one to watch in the Irish MMA scene.

Norman Parke

Parke is a unique fighter in the MMA scene, also being a national Judo and wrestling champion. At 46 years old, he is still an active fighter and he still has an impressive record of 31-7. He was one of the fighters to compete on the undercard of the McGregor vs. Brandao fight in Dublin. He won his match by TKO against Naoyuki Kotan.

When he has lost, those losses have been due to very tight competition and split second bad decisions. As you can see from his win record, this doesn’t happen all that often with this fighter.

Irish MMA has still got plenty to offer the world, Thanks to these stars in the sport right now. They have no plans to stop, and many have the potential to become some of the best in the world. As such, keep your eye on these stars, and of course place those bets on them too.