Can Boston open the door to UFC Dublin ten years later?

Nearly ten years ago to the day, Conor McGregor made his first appearance as a professional fighter in the United States, defeating future hall-of-famer Max Holloway at Boston's TD Garden.

Before the Lamborghini yachts, before a thousand phones recorded his every move and before he acquired more money than he could spend, McGregor was still mystified by the world that was opening up in front of him.

Back home, his supporters were equally in awe. In late 2013, he was perpetually flanked by a film crew - his first entourage - who would later produce 'The Notorious’ documentary for RTÉ, another nod to his ascending stardom in Ireland.

Jaded American journalists were animated getting their first look at the surging, heavy-handed Irishman in Peter Welch’s boxing gym on Dorchester Avenue. After his open workout, McGregor encountered a man speaking fluent Irish in the shower room of the facility, and his jaw hit the floor.

Beantown may as well have been Crumlin on the night.

"It was green walking out there," remarked McGregor at the post-fight press conference.

"It was green, green flags, f***ing leprechauns were walking around, it was unbelievable."

A wall of sound fit for Larry Bird greeted him at the home of the Celtics. UFC president Dana White, a proud Bostonian who had travelled to Trinity College earlier in the year, had been inundated with questions about McGregor headlining an event in his hometown ever since his debut in Stockholm.

The Boston love-in, while far from being a masterclass, did much for the prospects of a homecoming.

Ian Machado Garry is the best Irish mixed-martial-artist on the planet today.

Ranked among the welterweight division’s elite following a signature knockout of Daniel Rodriguez, should he get through