According to one of its owners, they might be.
Ireland's brightest MMA talent Conor McGregor has made a plea on Twitter for the UFC to consider the Aviva stadium as the venue for their inevitable return to Ireland. UFC co-founder Lorenzo Fertitta issued a very promising response to McGregor's suggestion.
The stadiums get bigger. The vision gets clearer. UFC in the Aviva? @lorenzofertitta @danawhite pic.twitter.com/rd7LqDsAue
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) August 12, 2014
@TheNotoriousMMA @danawhite let's do it!
— Lorenzo Fertitta (@lorenzofertitta) August 12, 2014
UFC president Dana White was initially strongly opposed to the idea of having an outdoor event in Ireland. White cited the unreliable Irish weather as the main reason why they were against the idea when he appeared on BT Sport’s UFC show ‘Beyond the Octagon’ last month.
Yeah. Next time we go there… I’ve always said no, no, no, no, no… but it’s crazy not to try an outdoor stadium in Ireland. I can absolutely, positively guarantee you that it will rain in Ireland. We’ve just got to figure out how to get around it.
It appears now that the powers that be have indeed figured something out judging by Fertitta's positive response.
After the roaring success of UFC Fight 46 in the O2, it is only a matter of time before the world's largest MMA promotion officially announce the date they will return to Irish shores.
