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Talks have been held to host a Conor McGregor title shot at Croke Park or Aviva Stadium next summer, says UFC head Gary Cook.

The UFC are keen to to have a stadium event in Dublin after the successful return of the sport at the 02 earlier this year, according to the former Manchester City chief executive Cook.

McGregor would be the first European to win a world title in the UFC.

Cook said: “Conor is fighting Denis Siver in Boston in January – and if his last fight in that city is anything to go by, there will be a huge army of Irishmen cheering him on.

"After that, we are looking at something very special. Talks have taken place over the prospect of hiring Croke Park or the Aviva Stadium for a possible world title fight against the Brazilian champion Jose Aldo next summer.

“Conor is an athlete who is capturing the imagination of the Irish public and the prospect of hiring a huge outdoor stadium to stage a fight that will put him and the sport on the map is exciting all of us.

“After the success of the event we staged at the 02 Arena in Dublin earlier this year, we believe we can sell a lot of tickets for this fight. So long as everything goes ok with Conor’s next bout, it should be all systems go for next summer.”

McGregor will face Dennis Siver in the main event of UFC Fight Night Boston on January 18.

(Image: Getty)

Cook spoke about the 02 event earlier this year: “Dana White, who has long been the face of UFC and an Irish-American himself, told me that the event we put on in Dublin was the most thrilling he has every witnessed in the history of the sport.

“The noise of the crowd and the spectacle generated by Conor and the other fighters was just incredible and to move our sport forward to the next level, we want to tap into the enthusiasm this wonderfully talented sportsman has generated.

“The viewing figures we got on the event were also spectacular, with Setanta getting a great audience and the rerun on 3e a couple of days later had around of a fifth of the Irish population watching the action.

“I am relatively new to this sport and it could not be more contrasting to the previous career I enjoyed in the Premier League with Manchester City, but it has not taken me long to realise Conor has the potential to be a superstar."

Conor McGregor said he took the Siver fight because, "Jose (Aldo), his body is weak, he pulls out of contests every day, he gets injured, so I know I would have to wait so that is why I took a fight in the meantime."

Gary Cook told the Sunday World: “UFC is being watched by one billion people in 144 countries across the globe now and the name everyone is talking about his Conor McGregor.

“That is a huge audience to tap into and Ireland has a champion who is talented enough to rise to the challenge.”