5 Irish fighters who could emulate Conor McGregor's success in the UFC

#2. Paul Hughes - Cage Warriors featherweight

Cage Warriors has consistently developed talented European fighters who have gone on to do great things in the UFC. One of the next big prospects is Irish featherweight Paul Hughes.

Hughes has a 7-1 record with his only loss coming about by way of a close split decision against current Cage Warriors featherweight champion Jordan Vucenic. A rematch with Vucenic may be on the cards in the near future for Hughes. It was recently announced that he will compete for the Cage Warriors featherweight interim title at the upcoming trilogy event.

Hughes will face off against Morgan Charriere, who is another massive European prospect. Should Hughes put in an impressive display against Charriere, that alone may well be enough to see him signed for the UFC.

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#1. Ian Garry - UFC welterweight

'The Future' has arrived, in the UFC that is. There has not been this much excitement surrounding an Irish fighter since the days of McGregor himself. Ian Garry won the Cage Warriors welterweight title earlier this year, defeating Jack Grant in dominant fashion.

Shortly after, Garry signed a contract with the UFC. He now has his opponent booked as well, with the UFC recently announcing that he will be facing off against Jordan WIlliams at UFC 268.

The Future is here!@iangarryMMA will make his UFC debut in November at UFC 268 in New York 🗽 pic.twitter.com/bpJi7Ksqo3

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) September 8, 2021

The fact that the UFC are putting Garry on such a big card for his debut speaks volumes about how much stock they are putting into the young Irishman. Ahead of his debut fight, Garry has announced he will be training at Sanford MMA, where he will hone his already lethal skillset to an even finer point.