Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC

There is no denying the popularity of Paddy ‘The Hooligan’ Holohan. Going 3-1 in his first year with UFC, the ovations he received in his first UFC outing in Dublin and his last appearance in Glasgow have cemented him as a fan favorite. The long, rangy Dubliner has proved his skillset on the biggest MMA stage of them all, and despite picking up the first loss of his career back in October to Chris Kelades, the Irish flyweight has used the defeat as a learning tool.

Having claimed two wins since then, it’s likely the flyweight will take a main card slot when UFC return to Dublin on October 24. Although ‘The Hooligan’ does not get caught up in his billing on cards, having been the curtain raiser last year in the Irish capital a main card slot would be a clear sign of progress for him.

“It would be a nice thing to get on to the main card,” said Holohan. “I can remember for my debut in Dublin I said ‘all you need to give me is an opportunity and you won’t regret it’. I’ve always done everything in my power to take the opportunities that are given to me.

“When the UFC sit down at the end of this year and they look at their books and they weigh up what the new guys they brought in have done—I know I’ve done well. I got the finger out and got to work. I haven’t had a bad fight, even my loss was a cracking fight.

“I lost my ‘0’ this year—it’s been nuts. Every time something bad has come along I just consider it another building block. Today might be a bad brick, but tomorrow’s one might be better.”

Considering his trajectory over a year, Holohan is confident that he will headline a UFC card in Dublin in the future. The SBG fighter highlighted that due to the fact that his division’s champion Demetrious Johnson is having trouble attracting a lot of attention to his contests, he could be an ideal opponent considering the following he commands. According to ‘The Hooligan’, Johnson could get the full experience of a championship atmosphere if the flyweight duo ever locked horns in Dublin or the home of the Irish Diaspora, Boston.

Photo by Chris McGrath/Zuffa LLC

“It makes sense that I will eventually headline a card in my hometown. If you look at the champion of my division it makes even more sense. He’s obviously a highly skilled fighter, but his pull is not great. I was at an event in Canada when he was the main event and as he made his way to the Octagon, people were leaving the stadium.

“He deserves more respect as a champion. If he came here to Dublin to fight me, he would realize what it is like to be in a championship bout. They would show him how loud these situations can be. Honestly, I don’t think Demetrious has even fought anywhere like Dublin. It’s crazy saying this, but I’m just a little kid from Jobstown and I would be able to bring more numbers here in Dublin than he would anywhere else in the world.

“Even Boston, I think I’d be able to get a bigger crowd over there than he would. That’s not me trying to be smart or cheeky about him, that’s just the reality of the situation. I fill that TD Garden as a main event fighting him for the belt, that’s what I think. He could be fighting anyone else and they won’t fill anywhere. It would just be another event in another town,” he outlined.

The only loss on Holohan’s record came when he travelled to Nova Scotia back in October. The ‘Fight of the Night’ winning bout with late replacement and hometown man Kelades didn’t go Holohan’s way despite his best efforts. The longest distance the Dubliner has ever travelled away from Ireland to compete, he revealed his belief that the further he is from the Emerald Isle, the more of a negative impact the travel has on his performance.

Despite that, the submission specialist still maintained that he would go “to the other end of the earth” any time the UFC wanted him to.

“It literally feels like I’m rooted to Ireland. The further I go away from Ireland and the longer I stay away, my body starts falling apart. The closer I can stay to the gym, the better. It’s better for me, it’s better for my training partners and it’s better for my son. Of course, I would go to the other end of the earth for any fight UFC will give me. But, the fact is I perform better and I make weight better when I’m drinking Irish water and eating Irish food. I know what I’m doing and being at home makes it a lot easier.”

After calling out Louis Smolka after his victory over Vaughan Lee last month in Glasgow, Holohan expected to face off with the Hawaiian in Dublin on October 24.

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