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Here’s a sneak-peek of what the UFC has in store for January

The UFC will kick-start 2015 with four first-class shows in January, including Conor McGregor’s trip to Boston.

EVEN THE BIGGEST of cynics could not accuse the UFC marketing-machine of spouting hyperbole, when describing January 2015 as the biggest month in company history.

Over four weeks, starting Saturday, 3 January, the promotion will showcase four of the best, potentially most-relevant, events in recent memory.

The new year commences with UFC 182 in Las Vegas, which sees light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones defend his title against bitter-rival Daniel Cormier. The animosity between the two is so genuinely-visceral that it boiled over into an all-out brawl at a press event in August. Moreover, that they are among the most gifted and complete athletes in the sport, only makes the proposition more salivating.

A fortnight later, the Irish will descend on Boston for UFC FN 59 to watch Conor McGregor go toe-to-toe with Denis Siver in the main event. If the Dubliner is victorious, he may be awarded a shot at featherweight champion Jose Aldo, or, at the very least, be paired with Frankie Edgar in a number one contender elimination match. McGregor’s SBG teammates Cathal Pendred and Paddy Holohan will also be in action, as will Antrim’s Norman Parke.

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The following week, the promotion will host their first-ever stadium event on European soil in Stockholm, Sweden, with UFC on Fox 14. The headlining bout at the Tele2 Arena pits hometown-hero Alexander Gustafsson against the incredibly-dangerous Anthony Johnson, to see who will be the next number one contender at 205lbs. Ireland’s Neil Seery will meet Chris Beal on the preliminary card.

The extravaganza of combat will conclude where it began, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, with UFC 183. The event is set to be headlined by two of the most crowd-pleasing fighters on the roster, Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz. Silva, the long-time middleweight champion, has not fought since the summer of 2013, while former welterweight title-challenger Diaz will be returning from his most-recent self-imposed exile. This is the type of division-hopping bout which rarely occurs and is not to be missed.

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