On a night that saw Olympic-level boxer Michael Conlan make his pro debut on the world's biggest stage, another Irishman stole the show.
UFC lightweight king Conor McGregor walked Conlan to the ring at Madison Square Garden last week and snatched whatever thunder his countryman's TKO of Tim Ibarra generated with a rant at press row that clocked in at under a minute.
"The Notorious" may have upstaged Conlan while clad in civilian clothes, but the Olympian left the Big Apple with more clout than when he touched down, with McGregor acting as its purveyor, however inadvertently. Conlan is just the latest of several to be blessed with McGregor's infectious, near-otherworldly touch, and if the following three fighters offer any inkling, he hasn't seen the last of the big stage.
Artem Lobov
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Lobov is a UFC headliner.
This is not a cruel prank, nor the low-hanging fruit of Dana White's piss poor impulse control.
In under a year, the 30-year-old went from the chopping block to top billing at April's UFC Fight Night 108 opposite a perennial featherweight contender in Cub Swanson. How does a fighter with a pro record a hair above .500, who's split four UFC bouts against sub-par competition, suddenly find himself in such a cushy spot? Look no further than McGregor.
Lobov just so happens to train with the Irishman at Straight Blast Gym, and his cohort's history-making exploits have provided "The Russian Hammer" with some gargantuan, comfy coattails to ride, whether he's deliberately strapped himself to them or not.
The Russian will wade into deep waters when he meets Swanson next month, but he can, at the very least, take comfort in the longer-than-normal leash his relationship with the champ has afforded him.
James Gallagher
The 20-year-old prospect from Strabane, Ireland has found some faithful investors in Bellator MMA, but one can't help wonder if he owes his roster spot to his far more renowned countryman and stablemate.
To Gallagher's credit, he's showed plenty of promise in just six pro bouts, half of which have been contested in the Bellator cage. While his submission artistry stands in stark contrast to McGregor's knockout-riddled resume, one would be hard-pressed to deem the undefeated upstart's bottomless machismo a direct product of his bond with The Notorious.
RT BellatorMMA: HUGE statement win from StrabanimalMMA! Who does he want next?? #Bellator173 pic.twitter.com/0L9d28W3ln
— Susan Cingari MMA (@SusanCingari) February 25, 2017
As long as Gallagher's development under coach John Kavanagh continues, his climb up the Bellator ladder should be nothing short of meteoric, and he'll have McGregor to thank for being put on the stateside radar in the first place.
Dillon Danis
The latest - and perhaps greatest - beneficiary of the McGregor factor is 23-year-old jiu-jitsu man Danis.
The New Jersey native joined McGregor's camp ahead of his rematch with Nate Diaz at UFC 202, and the Irishman's knack for gamesmanship rubbed off on him immediately, as Danis has since called out Diaz and challenged former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones to a submission grappling match.
Cut to a few weeks ago, Danis - who's never seen the inside of a cage - is now a Bellator fighter. Even when flexing the braggadocious muscles he's acquired over the course of his budding friendship with McGregor, Danis' doormat of a personality remains plain as day, and while Bellator has made a habit of taking flyers on specialists with little in-cage experience, he'll head into his promotional debut knowing his sugar daddy is as responsible - if not more so - for his MMA foray as he is.
