MMA has seen rapid growth around the world over the past decade. Most of the fighters came from the United States, Brazil and Japan for many years. During the modern era of MMA, fighters from around the world have begun entering the sport. Ireland is one of those countries that has cemented itself in the MMA world due to the success of many Irish fighters. Many of these fighters have enjoyed immense success in the UFC. In this article, we will take a look at the 10 best UFC fighters from Ireland.
10) Rhys Mckee
Rhys McKee is a native of Northern Ireland and has amassed a record of 11-4 throughout his MMA career. He defeated 11 of his opponents by knockout or submission. McKee made his UFC debut in 2020 but lost consecutive fights against Khamzat Chimaev and Alex Morono. He now competes for the Cage Warriors and made his debut in 2021.
9) Tom Egan
Tom Egan did not have a successful career in the UFC. However, he is the first ever MMA fighter to compete in the promotion. Egan made his UFC debut at UFC 93 and faced John Hathaway. Tom lost the fight in a first-round knockout. He compiled a 7-5 overall record during his professional career and has not competed since 2014.
8) Aisling Daly
Aisling Daly began her professional MMA career in 2007 and fought in various promotions like ROT 7, Cage Rage, Bellator and NAAFs. She entered the UFC in 2015 and compiled a record of 2-1. Daly has wins over Alex Chambers and Ericka Almeida in the promotion. Aisling was an amazing MMA fighter but was forced to retire from the sport after her medical tests revealed a brain hemorrhage. She amassed a professional MMA record of 16-6 during her career.
7) Charlie Ward
Charlie Ward began his professional MMA career in 2015 and after fighting in promotions like Fightstar Promotions, Cage Kings and Total Extreme Fighting, he soon joined the UFC. Unfortunately, he lost two consecutive fights to Abdul Razak Alhassan and Galore Bofando and was released from the promotion. Later, he signed with Bellator and compiled a 7-4 record there until now.
6) Neil Seery
Neil Seery’s professional MMA career began in 2005 and he fought in numerous promotions like ROT, COT 2, UFR, Extreme Brawl, Cage Warriors and CWFC. Seery made his UFC debut in 2014 but lost to Brad Pickett via unanimous decision. He went on to compile a 3-4 record in the UFC, with wins over Chris Beal, John Delos Reyes, and Phil Harris. He has fought against some of the best flyweight fighters in the world, including Alexandra Pantoja and Kyoji Horiguchi. Neil retired with a professional record of 16–13.
5) Cathal Pendred
Cathal Pendred is one of the few MMA fighters from Ireland who had a good UFC record during his professional career. Pendred began his professional MMA career in 2009 and after fighting in a number of promotions, he made his UFC debut in 2014. Pendred won four consecutive matches in the promotion but suffered two consecutive losses to John Howard and Tom Breeze. He retired from the sport in 2015 with a professional record of 17-4.
4) Paddy Holohan
Paddy Holohan had a short MMA career, but a successful one. Even though Holohan fought just five matches in the promotion, he had a great stint there. Before signing to the UFC, he already had a record of 9-1-1 by fighting in promotions like Ring of Combat, Chaos FC and Cage Contender. He compiled a 3-2 record in the UFC and had wins over Josh Sampo, Shane Howell and Vaughan Lee. He announced his retirement from the sport in 2016 due to a rare blood disease.
3) Norman Parke
Norman Parke is one of the most successful Irish fighters in MMA. He began his professional career in 2006, fighting in several promotions. Parke entered the UFC in 2012 by appearing on The Ultimate Fighter and defeating Colin Fletcher in the finals. He compiled a 5-3-1 record while competing in the UFC and competed against great lightweight heavyweights like Francisco Trinaldo, Gleison Tibau and Leonardo Santos. Parke has a professional MMA record of 31 wins and 7 losses.
2) Joseph Duffy
Joseph Duffy began his professional career in 2008 and the interesting thing about him was that he had a win over Conor McGregor in the Cage Warriors 39. Duffy entered the UFC in 2015 and made a strong 4-1 start to his UFC career. However, he was unable to make a successful run for the title. He lost three consecutive bouts to James Vick, Marc Diakiese and Joel Alvarez, respectively. Despite being talented, Duffy could not live up to the hype as a UFC lightweight and eventually retired from the sport in 2020.
1) Conor McGregor
Without a doubt, Conor McGregor is the most successful MMA fighter from Ireland. His rise in the UFC featherweight division was iconic, as he easily defeated notable fighters like Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier and Dennis Siver before capturing both the interim lightweight and undisputed lightweight world titles by defeating Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo. “The Notorious” made history by becoming the first simultaneous multi-division champion in the promotion’s history. McGregor has inspired many fighters around the world and is one of the big reasons behind the UFC’s popularity.
Also Read: 10 Best African MMA Fighters In UFC History
