Dublin's Holohan to Debut in July

Dublin's Patrick Holohan may have fallen short of making it into the Ultimate Fighter 18 house, but on July 19, he will get a second shot at Octagon glory when he makes his UFC debut against Josh Sampo on the UFC Fight Night card being held in his hometown arena, the O2.

“I’m so happy, this is going to be something so special," said Holohan. "That stadium is going to be packed and hopefully they’ll all be rooting for me – it’ll be a big moment for me.”

9-0-1 as a pro, the 26-year-old flyweight has been sidelined since his TUF 18 elimination bout against Josh Hill last year. But with his back injury now a thing of the past, the stablemate of headliner Conor McGregor is ready for battle.

“I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been before," he said. "I thought that injury would be the end of the road for me, but I’m just so appreciative that I can even fight and carry on competing.”

Sampo, 11-3, has won five of his last six, including a November 2013 submission of Ryan Benoit. Holohan doesn't know much about his foe, but he's preparing for the fight of his life.

“I haven’t even seen a picture of the guy, but everyone in the UFC is tough and at a high level. I believe and trust in myself to get the job done.”