FanPost

Ireland's Next Big Fighting Star: Carl Frampton Or Connor McGregor Of The UFC?

Browsing some of the latest articles on Bloody Elbow and MMA Fighting, the common theme among the writers and fans is that Ireland's own Connor McGregor who headlines UFC Fight Night live from Dublin is poised to become the next big star the UFC has desperately been looking for. From what I've read about McGregor, from interviews and articles about him, he seems the polarizing type. You either like him and are a fan what he's about, his potential as a fighter and his star potential more importantly, or you think he's all talk and nothing yet to show for his willingness to declare his own greatness despite not having much of a track record as of yet mixed martial arts' most prominent promotion the UFC. Fans debate McGregor's comments certainly to a level in which they debated the comments of the recently retired Chael Sonnen, whose comments not only made him a star but also led to many high profile fights many would argue his fighting skills and accomplishments inside the cage did not.

So is Connor McGregor an Irish Chael Sonnen or is he the Irish Mayweather? And does he stand to become more popular and more crossover in Ireland than another fighter who has just as much star potential if not more, and arguably a lot more talent in his respective sport than McGregor does in his.

Irish super bantamweight boxer Carl Frampton is one of the best in the world at 122 pounds. In fact he's so highly rated at super bantam that he's second only to the best 122 pound fighter in the world and one of the best P4P, Cuban boxing master Guillermo Rigondeaux (WBO, WBA, The Ring super bantamweight champion). Frampton has long been tapped as Ireland's next fighting superstar based on his talent, as opposed to McGregor who has mostly been about his soundbites, not to say he's not a talented fighter in his own right. I'm simply saying Frampton has proven more in the boxing ring as a non title holding prospect and contender than McGregor has in the Octagon.

Whatever the crowd McGregor draws for UFC: Dublin, I suspect Frampton will top that when he faces Kiko Martinez in a rematch for Martinez's IBF super bantamweight title. Frampton dismantled Martinez back in 2012 for the European title. The rematch between Frampton and Martinez will take place in Ireland's capital city of Belfast.

My feeling toward the question of who will become the bigger star in Ireland is that Frampton will ultimately be the one who garners the most attention and because of the sport in which he competes, and his level of potential and skill, thus becomes the bigger attraction and star there. I'm not dismissing Connor or the UFC, I'll just make this comparison, I doubt a Scottish UFC fighter could ever mean to Scotland what Ricky Burns meant during the height of his reign as arguable the best lightweight in the world as WBO champion. You will never have a UFC duplicate or surpass what Burns created in Scotland because of the history behind it all. From one of my favorites Ken Buchanan to Jim Watt and Scott Harrison, to Burns, Scotland has always adored their boxing champions. Ireland is no different in that regard, the nights Bernard Dunne gave fans are fondly remembered, and Ireland hasn't had a world champion since Dunne in 2009 when he cut down Ricardo Cordoba in Dublin for the WBA super bantamweight title in what was ESPN's Fight of the Year.

Dublin, Belfast, aren't we splitting hairs a bit? We're talking the whole of Ireland after all. And Frampton to me it would seem is better suited for super stardom than McGregor, because one thing should be taken into account I think along with talent and personality: "Who'd you beat?" What fight is out there in the UFC for Connor McGregor to stamp his star power on the Ireland and the UK? The same question cannot be asked of Frampton who has a natural rival at 122 pounds in Scott Quigg. Quigg-Frampton is being talk about as much as Froch-Groves was before that fight was made the first time around. In most boxing fans' minds it's the next biggest UK clash that has yet to happen, and one that has been simmering since both fighters have entered world level, which was about two years ago.

It all comes down to which sport is more popular and which participant is riding more of a wave at the moment. Right now, given his potential, his exposure (he fought on Sky and Boxnation), and the fights that will be and could be made in the future, Carl Frampton will be the bigger star in Ireland.

Nothing against McGregor, I want to make that perfectly clear, he will do great things but I believe Frampton will be the bigger star in Ireland when it's all said and done.

FanPosts are user-created content written by community members of Bad Left Hook, and are generally not the work of our editors. Please do not source FanPosts as the work of Bad Left Hook.