UFC Fight Night 76 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Dublin
Call it the case of the Headless Fight Card. And just in time for Halloween.
UFC Fight Night 76 went down Saturday from Dublin, Ireland. But it didn't go down the way anyone had hoped. At least not on paper.
Just weeks before the card, a fun co-main event fell by the wayside when heavyweight Stipe Miocic pulled out of his bout with Ben Rothwell. (Miocic, oddly, soon leapfrogged Rothwell for an even better fight, but that's another story.)
Then, barely a few days before the curtain was set to rise, hometown fave Joe Duffy withdrew from his headliner with Dustin Poirier.
So, yes. Suddenly fans were left with an event that didn't have much of anything on top—hence headless. You see what I'm saying?
But the slate still held 10 fights that were at least technically of a UFC nature, with the topper being flyweight Paddy Holohan facing Hawaiian Louis Smolka to determine who was ready to take a big step up in the 125-pound division.
As with anything, real results never equal paper potential, and the final stat lines only reveal so much. These are the real winners and losers from The Emerald Isle.
Winner: Louis Smolka
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The main event began as a grappling clinic. The two competitors traded dominant positions and submission attempts, with each man spending more than a little time in trouble.
As the minutes ticked by, however, the pendulum slowly swung toward Smolka. Where Holohan was overaggressive, the Hawaiian stayed calm. When Holohan's adrenaline appeared to seep away, there was Smolka, using his long reach to tenderize the Irishman on the feet.
When the action hit the ground again, there was no more jiu-jitsu expo. Smolka hammered Holohan into a turtle position, locked on a choke and squeezed until Holohan lay sprawled, prone and unconscious, on the canvas.
Props to Holohan, who went out on his shield and had good moments. It was sad to see him splayed out on the mat like that. His post-fight interview got the room even feelier.
"I never say I'm the best," he told analyst Dan Hardy in the cage after the fight, to boisterous cheers. "But when I come out here, I give yous everything."
Holohan is likable, but so was Smolka, who bent over backward to give respect to the Irish fans (and more on them momentarily).
In the end there was no question about the better fighter. We may just have a new contender in the UFC flyweight division.
Loser: Reza Madadi
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This was Reza Madadi's first fight in more than two years. Why?
The announcers were vague, making references to "some time away," and "personal issues" and things like that.
Good thing that every hardcore fan (and, ergo, probably every viewer in this case) already knew the answer: Madadi had recently been released from prison, where he spent 18 months after an aggravated burglary conviction in his native Sweden.
You know, personal issues.
Strange that broadcasters didn't mention it, almost as if they didn't wish viewers to know. As if, you know, such a thing would be embarrassing. But it certainly didn't embarrass UFC officials to re-sign Madadi almost immediately after he got sprung from the pokey.
So what gives? It's not like he smoked marijuana or anything crazy like that.
Anyway, broadcasting confusion aside, Madadi lost by unanimous decision to Norman Parke. So, loser. But only because of that.
Winners: Darren Till and Nicolas Dalby
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We have two interesting new faces in the UFC welterweight division.
Muay Thai knockout artist Darren Till, at only 22 years old, looked like he was on his way to a win over another top prospect in Nicolas Dalby. In the first two rounds, Till was bigger, stronger, more poised and more efficient. Till's attack was predicated by a strong left kick, which repeatedly found Dalby's open midsection, and a powerful left hand that planted Dalby on the canvas at one point.
But the third round was a different story. Dalby stormed back, landing punches and heavy knees, hitting takedowns and and fully dominating Till for five full minutes.
The domination was so thorough that judges scored the third a 10-8 round for Dalby. Two of the three scorecards ended in a 28-28 dead heat, resulting in a majority draw.
The two embraced warmly afterward and welcomed the idea of a rematch. As it is, they'll just have to settle for what was an instant favorite for Fight of the Night honors.
And since the judges couldn't pick a winner, neither will we.
As Luke Thomas of MMA Fighting tweeted: "Dalby just put it on him [in the third] round. Sensational fight between two good prospects. Me gusta."
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Loser: The Dublin Faithful
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What else can you say about Ireland's MMA crowd?
Once again in full throat from the get-go, Dubliners seemed happy to host and witness another UFC card, even if it was one so diminished by injuries.
Of course, the biggest cheers were for their countrymen (and woman): Cathal Pendred, Neil Seery, Aisling Daly, Norman Parke and Holohan. However, with the possible exception of Tom Breese, who defeated Pendred with a dominant knockout, reactions were jolly and respectful regardless of the action or the outcome.
And yet, they're listed as losers. Well, I mean, did you watch this card? There were some good fights, particularly on the main card, but it was, shall we say, more or less in line with expectations. I get that stuff happens, but for such a fight-happy fanbase, it would be great to see the UFC roll out a more injury-proof slate. Maybe some day.
Loser: SBG Ireland
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It was a bit of a mixed bag for the three fighters on the card from the vaunted SBG Ireland gym, namely Holohan, Pendred and Daly.
Pendred, who has garnered some ill favor from stateside fans for a dull style and dicey decision wins, lost to Brit Tom Breese via first-round TKO. The Dubliners in attendance didn't like the win and expressed their displeasure with their only significant boos of the night.
A couple fights later, Daly stirred the crowd with an emotional decision win over fellow women's strawweight Ericka Almeida. So that was a plus.
As you know by now, Holohan couldn't quite get the job done in the finale. So on the whole, a disappointing 1-2 evening for the lads from John Kavanagh's combat laboratory.
Winner: Neil Seery
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In the Irish MMA scene, it's hard sometimes for a non-SBG fighter to get his or her share of the shine. Neil "2Tap" Seery didn't leave anything to chance on Saturday.
Facing hard-hitting but fast-fading flyweight Jon Delos Reyes, the 36-year-old father of four, who trains with Team Ryano MMA in Dublin, withstood the younger man's attacks and ultimately held on to a guillotine choke to notch the win.
"The only reason I keep going is this," Seery told Hardy in the cage after the fight as he pointed to the packed house. "This crowd just gives me so much energy."
Loser: Stevie Ray
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Stevie Ray was never seriously challenged in his prelim bout with Mickael Lebout and took a fairly easy unanimous decision.
So why is he a loser?
In his first two bouts for the UFC, the Scotland native notched TKO victories. As a major favorite against a middling opponent in Lebout, and fighting in his own backyard, the table was set for a statement win.
It didn't happen. Though Ray performed competently enough, he appeared sluggish and either unwilling or unable to put Lebout away. A fine win, but a little underwhelming for those (like me) who are excited about the future of this 25-year-old. Luckily for all involved, he'll have other chances.
UFC Fight Night 76 Full Results
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Main Card
Louis Smolka def. Paddy Holohan by submission (rear-naked choke), 4:09, Rd. 2
Norman Parke def. Reza Madadi by unanimous decision
Nicolas Dalby vs. Darren Till ruled majority draw
Neil Seery def. Jon Delos Reyes by submission (guillotine choke), 4:12, Rd. 2
Preliminary Card
Stevie Ray def. Mickael Lebout by unanimous decision
Aisling Daly def. Ericka Almeida by unanimous decision
Krzysztof Jotko def. Scott Askham by split decision
Tom Breese def. Cathal Pendred by TKO, 4:37, Rd. 1
Darren Elkins def. Robert Whiteford by unanimous decision
Garreth McClellan def. Bubba Bush by TKO, 4:58, Rd. 3
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. He can be found on Twitter.
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