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28th February 2023
03:50pm GMT

Walking out to ‘Zombie’ by The Cranberries, this is something everyone should experience as an Irish person. Each and every audience member in the arena was on their feet singing for the duration of the song. The togetherness in the atmosphere was enough to send shivers down anyone’s back. The roaring crowd gave the fight a gladiatorial feel.It really felt as if Queally’s Irish supporters were sending him into a battle to the death, which creates an atmosphere like no other. This isn’t a flash in the pan, once off thing either. Every time Queally walks out to that 3 Arena crowd, they all get behind him. The fans in the 3Arena didn’t save their voices for Queally, by any means. The card started at around 5pm on Saturday. From the first Irish fighter to the last, every single one got supported in the successful moments they had. No matter who it was, every fighter who represented Ireland was celebrated like the last. Each win felt special and significant, and the fans really cared about the Irish getting the right result. The encouragement that the fans gave their fighters in losing positions showed how deep their support went. More than anything, these fans wanted their fighters to win. This even includes Pedro Carvalho and Aseal Adjoudj, who can consider themselves adopted Irishmen.
These aren’t just athletes that get paid to compete. This is the guy you went to primary school with. This is the girl you see in the shop every Sunday. This is your sister's boyfriend’s third cousin that you met once in the pub. Maybe you have never heard of this person in your entire life. But they’re Irish, which is all that matters. Which is really what makes these events so special.Even Ukrainian champion Yaroslav Amosov was feeling the love from the Irish crowd. He put on a show for the 3 Arena, and his best moments were thanked by an atmospheric reception from the crowd. There were even proud Ukrainian flags scattered through the Dublin crowd, which no doubt gave further inspiration to the champion. If you are Irish and you are a fan of sport in general, there is definitely something in these MMA events for you. Every time an Irish fighter walks into that cage, it's like the crowd re-sets. Each fight means the crowd does whatever they can to encourage their native warriors. It doesn’t matter if they're from Dublin, Galway or Cork. It is Ireland versus the whole world, and there is no doubt that feeling is evident on fight night.
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