Combination of glitz and combat irresistible to many

Conor McGregor has a different perspective than most when it comes to what the Irish sporting public holds close to its heart.

Born in Crumlin and a resident of Lucan, he admitted earlier this week that he wasn’t aware a game of Gaelic football will be taking place in Croke Park this Sunday between his native Dublin and Meath.

He is, he confesses, living in his own bubble right now. Yet, his assertion, one voiced time and again the last few weeks, that the UFC Fight Night which he is headlining at the O2 tomorrow and is being broadcast on terrestrial TV here will “shut this country down” is one you would imagine is aimed at a foreign rather than a domestic audience.