Before he started calling fights for the UFC, British play-by-play man John Gooden was the voice of Cage Warriors.

And nobody knows the passion of the Irish fight fans quite like John who, during the now-famous rise to prominence of Conor McGregor, ended up right in the thick of it with the legendary Irish fight fans during both of ‘The Notorious’ one’s Cage Warriors championship victories.

We chatted to Gooden at CW80 in London where he shared his memories of his Irish fight night experiences ahead of our return to Dublin this weekend for Cage Warriors 81.

“I think my first taste was the Helix when Conor won his first world title,” he began.

“I got injured – Conor kneed me in the face! But I stayed here to live to tell the tale!

“He jumped the fence. His fans were going absolutely bonkers, and I think if he didn’t go out, they were coming in. So strategically he did the right thing, although he sort of ran through me to get to them!

“But Josh (帕尔默, Cage Warriors co-commentator) and I were covered in beer and it was just this melee of craziness. So that was really cool, because I can say I took a knee from Conor McGregor – which he apologised for, 还有!

“The Helix was an interesting venue. It was on different levels and the last time I was there the Irish were having mixed results. Then Conor came out and, as he does, rouses everyone and came away with the victory in the fashion that he did. That just put the capstone on the night and just made it celebratory.”

After that fight both McGregor and Gooden were UFC bound, where they would reunite in Dublin at the 3Arena for UFC搏击之夜: McGregor v Brandao, an event that has gone down in folklore as one of the most raucous in UFC history.

“I’ve been over to Dublin twice (with the UFC) but the first time in 2014 – McGregor-Brandao – it’s gonna be difficult to top that,” Gooden smiled.

“The fans were SO good. The Irish fighters went 100%. They won, they won, they won and the crowd loved it. They got behind every single one and it was just a big celebration.

“Going back there, it was a sensory overload and I’m gonna take that to the grave with me.”

That event has been held up as the standard by which all fight night atmospheres are now judged, but there have been plenty of examples of the Irish fans’ passion since then, whether it’s at home for a host of different events, or on the road supporting their heroes overseas.

And on Saturday night the Irish fight fans have the opportunity to cheer on their boys on home soil once again at Cage Warriors 81. With a host of Irish fighting talent set for action, including Karl Moore bidding to capture the vacant Cage Warriors light-heavyweight title against American Josh Clark, we’re expecting another party atmosphere at the 3Arena.

门票可通过 票务大师, priced €98, 38 欧元和 24 欧元, with ticket holders also able to attend a special meet and greet session with our special guest fighters Neil Seery, Nicolas Dalby and the newly crowned Cage Warriors Welterweight Champion Karl Amoussou.

比赛将通过电视直播 爱尔兰体育 1 在爱尔兰, 英国电信运动 在英国和爱尔兰, 并在全球范围内播放 UFC战斗通行证.

专业卡
卡尔·摩尔 (7-1) v 乔什·克拉克 (10-3) – 凯奇勇士轻重量级冠军 (205磅)
凯瑟琳·科斯蒂根 (5-2) v 温迪·麦肯纳 (1-0) – 原子量级 (105磅)
乔·麦科尔根 (3-0) v 我要阿诺德 (13-5, 1 NC) – 轻量级回合 (155磅)
达伦·奥戈尔曼 (4-1) v 布莱恩·奥德里斯科尔 (3-1) – 雏量级较量 (135磅)
休伊·奥罗克 (对于首次亮相) v 阿兰·马奎尔 (0-1) – 雏量级较量 (135磅)
哈康福斯 (7-3) v 马丁·哈里斯 (4-2) – 次中量级回合 (170磅)
劳埃德·曼宁 (2-0) v 保罗麦克贝恩 (2-0) – 轻量级回合 (145磅)
埃里克·诺兰 (对于首次亮相) 在马尔辛·赞巴拉 (对于首次亮相) – 轻量级回合 (150磅)

业余卡
比尔·法瑞尔 v 大卫·皮奥特罗维茨 – 轻重量级回合 (205磅)
Richie Stack v Pawel Politylo – 轻量级回合 (145磅)
马克·加利文 v 马金德·阿德耶米 – 次中量级回合 (170磅)
弗朗西斯·特雷西 v 斯蒂芬·特雷西 – 轻量级回合 (155磅)
奥斯汀·林奇 v 亚历克斯·布罗菲 – 雏量级较量 (135磅)
Colm O'Regan 在 Mateusz Kopyto – 轻量级回合 (161磅)
加里·科菲的伊万·布兰妮塔 – 次中量级回合 (170磅)
加里·华莱士在达伦·萨斯菲尔德 – 轻量级回合 (161磅)
大卫·惠兰 v 布兰登·迈尔斯 – 雏量级较量 (135磅)
亚当·达比 v 莱昂·希尔 – 轻量级回合 (155磅)
巴里·汉纳 v 马修·怀特 – 轻量级回合 (132.2磅)