UFC London and Conor McGregor could change British and Irish MMA forever

The next three weeks could change the landscape of MMA in the UK and Ireland, writes James Edwards

Conor McGregor will bid to hold two belts at once when he fights Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight title (Getty Images)

Whilst Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is widely recognised as the fastest growing sport globally, it's status here in the UK remains dormant due to the lack of real top tier talent making their way to the top of the dominant US-based brand the UFC.

Homegrown talent such as Dan Hardy, Brad Pickett, Jimi Manuwa and Michael Bisping have all flown the British flag proudly, however, despite all of them having highly successful careers, for their separate reasons none of them have ever been able to capture UFC gold and get the nation talking about a sport that is growing so vividly in nearly all other parts of the world.

Whilst the sport has yet to experience a boom period in the UK, In the last few years, Conor McGregor has nearly single-handedly changed the face of Irish MMA and given Ireland the star the British have craved for so long. In July 2015, McGregor became only the fourth ever European based UFC champion and later in the year cemented the fact when he beat Jose Aldo to become the undisputed UFC featherweight champion.

Although McGregor already had two UFC victories before entering the Octagon for the third time at UFC Dublin 2014, that night was really the birth of a new star for the organisation. The line he exclaimed in victory, "we ain't here to take part, we're here to takeover," echoed round the UFC world and from that night onwards Irish MMA was never the same again.

In just over two weeks time the UFC will visit London for the first time since 2014 and with it comes the opportunity for new stars to be born and for them to have their 'McGregor moment'. Whilst the card is headlined by British veteran Michael Bisping taking on Anderson Silva, the undercard is littered with young British talent looking to make their names known across the UFC universe and perhaps take the first step in taking the sport to a whole new level in the UK.

Davey Grant, Scott Askham, Norman Parke, Bradley Scott, Mike Wilkinson and Arnold Allen all have the chance to grab the brass ring and make a statement in front of a packed 02 arena crowd and millions watching around the world on UFC Fight Pass online.

One man to watch out for will be Birmingham's own Tom Breese who will be fighting Keita Nakamura third from the top in a welterweight clash. Breese is unbeaten in his nine professional fights and with outstanding TKO victories against Luiz Dutra and Cathal Pendred already in the UFC, he's already caught the attention of MMA experts as one of the company's hot prospects.

Whilst the development of MMA is more established in Ireland than it is in the UK, the next three weeks are equally important for the Irish with the aforementioned Conor McGregor attempting to make history as the organisation's first ever man to hold two titles in two different weight classes at the same time.

By beating Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 196 on March 5, McGregor will create an instant legacy and take his stardom to heights perhaps never even imagined before.

Whilst creating his own history, McGregors achievements will only fuel the ambitions of the younger crop of Irish talent waiting in the wings and crafting their talent in the upcoming BAMMA 24 show in Dublin on February 27. The likes of Dylan Tuke, James Gallagher and Sinead Kavanagh are all highly thought of prospects all tipped to one day enter the UFC continue the good work started by the current generation of Irish MMA talent.

Of course, none of this is guaranteed. The next three weeks open up the window of opportunity both in the UK and Ireland for the sport of MMA to be taken to the next level but for that to happen British and Irish victories are a must.

From the 02 Arena, to 3Arena in Dublin, to the MGM Grand in Last Vegas, the sport as we know it could never be the same again.