UFC Fight Night 72 Results: The Real Winners and Losers

The UFC made its debut in Scotland Saturday with UFC Fight Night 72. Headlined by Michael Bisping and Thales Leites, the event had the promise of being an exciting one based on the fighters who graced the card.

The card was chock-full of European talent, as well as some other great fighters from various non-European countries. The fans were even treated to three fights featuring Scottish mixed martial artists, showing that the sport is growing in that great country.

So, who were the real winners and losers from this event? Let's examine now from this entertaining fight card.

Winner: Scottish Fighters

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Scotland had three home-country fighters on the card, and all three followed through.

Early in the card, Robert Whiteford scored a big knockout over Irishman Paul Redmond to kick off the festivities. It was a huge win and an impressive finish, getting the Scottish faithful going.

Kicking off the main card on Fox Sports 1 was Stevie Ray, who made mincemeat of Leonardo Mafra. It was another big knockout that showed that the Scottish fighters can really put on a show and put down tough opponents.

The cherry on top came in the form of Joanne Calderwood. Of the three participants who were performing in their home country, the fans were most behind her, making for a big-fight feel in her bout.

Calderwood was unable to score a finish in her bout like Whiteford and Ray did, but she did win in dominant fashion. She bested Cortney Casey in a workmanlike effort, putting her name back in contention.

It is safe to say Scotland had a great night.

Winner: Michael Bisping

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It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't his greatest performance, but Michael Bisping walked away with a split verdict in the main event against Thales Leites.

Bisping was workmanlike with his approach, showing great toughness in absorbing the huge punches of Leites. As a receipt, he tagged the Brazilian with a volume of technical punches, showing that quantity outdid power.

Bisping is a winner because this victory keeps him in the title hunt. Yes, he is well behind Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero and Ronaldo Souza in the hunt for Chris Weidman's gold, but he is nevertheless in the picture.

It was a close decision, but Bisping showed why he's a potential UFC Hall of Fame entrant in the future.

Loser: Ross Pearson

Associated Press

The co-main event spotlighted Ross Pearson, a U.K. native who could arguably be in contention at 155 pounds. That was before his fight with Evan Dunham, who completely outworked Pearson to a lopsided decision.

The loss is devastating for Pearson, who has always nipped at the heels of top-15 status. However, he has never been able to break on through to the other side, which puts his future up in the air.

What's next for Pearson?

Who knows, honestly. He's the guy who sticks around the UFC despite never becoming a guy who challenges for the title.

It's a nice occupation, but it doesn't leave a lasting legacy.

Winner: Ilir Latifi

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Light heavyweight is thirsty for some new contenders. It may be a stretch to say Ilir Latifi is a contender after his destruction of Hans Stringer, but he definitely gave fans a reason to talk about him in the aftermath of UFC Fight Night 72.

Latifi showed that he doesn’t get paid by the minute, putting Stringer down quickly and violently. It was an impressive finish, especially against a well-traveled veteran like Stringer.

As mentioned, Latifi’s win doesn’t put him in title talks. In fact, he’s far from it.

However, he did earn a legitimate win that qualifies him for bigger fights down the road.

Winner: Joe Duffy

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OK, I get it: There are lot of winners here. It’s deserved; that’s the type of event it was.

Joe Duffy had a huge night. The fighter whom the UFC announcers kept referring to as “the last man to defeat Conor McGregor” beat a respected veteran in Ivan Jorge.

Not only did Duffy defeat Jorge, but he tapped out the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Jorge looked to take Duffy to the mat, but the Irishman slapped on a picturesque triangle choke that had Batman tapping like he was a telegraph machine.

What a finish and what a win it was for Irish Joe.