...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC FIGHT NIGHT 46
JULY 19, 2014
LIVE FROM DUBLIN, IRELAND
=====UFC Fight Pass Prelims Quick Results=====
-Patrick Holohan def. Josh Sampo via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:06 of the first round
(Note: Incredible crowd atmosphere for the Dublin native, who put forth a fantastic performance, knocking Sampo down, working well on the ground, and ultimately taking his back in a beautiful transition before making a perfect adjustment to score the choke and the win. Great opener to this card.)
-Nikita Krylov def. Cody Donovan via TKO at 4:57 of the first round
(Note: Just an absolutely ridiculous yet competitive fight between two not very good fighters. Each nearly lost numerous times in the round, with Krylov ultimately getting the late TKO with ground and pound after Donovan just kind of stopped fighting back. Very sloppy and ugly, but it was filled with action.)
-Trevor Smith def. Tor Troeng via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
(Note: Terrible fight. Just very slowly paced, with terrible fight I.Q. from Troeng throughout, who had several dominant positions, only to get easily reversed. He also continually went for a grappling centric game when he was getting out-grappled.)
-Cathal Pendred def. Mike King via technical submission (rear naked choke) at 3:33 of the second round
(Note: Another really ugly fight, but at least it was nothing but ridiculous action. Pendred got demolished in the first round, nearly getting stopped a few times. King punched himself out and was exhausted into the second round; Pendred took advantage and choked him unconscious. Excellent comeback, though, and the crazy Irish crowd loved it.)
-Neil Seery def. Phil Harris via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
(Note: Really entertaining scrap elevated by a crazy raucous crowd fully behind Seery. That it was a rematch of a fight Harris won outside of the UFC in 2010 helped things, as Seery avenged the loss and brought the crowd to their feet in the process.)
-Ilir Latifi def. Chris Dempsey via TKO at 2:07 of the first round
(Note: Quick, one-sided beatdown by Latifi. He scored a right hand that put Dempsey out against the cage after hurting him with a leg kick.)
=====UFC Fight Pass Main Card=====
After setting the stage, it's on to the first main card fight.
FIGHT ONE: NORMAN PARKE VS. NAOYUKI KOTANI (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Kotani circled on the outside, pawed out a few strikes, and shot in. Parke turned him around on the cage in the clinch and separated. They traded kicks. Kotani landed a nice left hand and shot in but Parke shrugged him aside. Kotani shot in again but Parke held him off and clinched. Parke separated with a nice elbow. Kotani connected with a left hand and a body kick. He shot in again but got stuffed once more. Parke landed an uppercut to break out. He missed a flying knee. Kotani caught a body kick, but Parke defended yet another takedown attempt and separated with a couple of strikes. Kotani popped off a few strikes and got another clinch. He got in a knee, but Parke again broke off with a couple of strikes. Parke sprawled on another attepted takedown from Kotani, and tried to sneak around to take his back. He got a hook in and landed a number of strikes before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Parke. Kotani not having much success on his takedown attempts, and doesn't seem to have much more to offer right now.
ROUND TWO: Parke landed a couple of early strikes. They had a brief delay on a minor low blow. Kotani shot in for a single and Parke just stepped out and made him stand back up. Parke grabbed a body lock at the cage, picked Kotani up, and slammed him into side control. He landed an elbow, some knees to the body, and more elbows. He missed a few elbows. Kotani improved his defensive position to half guard but ate a few elbows after doing so. Parke continued landing from the top. Kotani tried for a leg lock and used it to escape to his feet. Parke stayed on him in the clinch. They battled on the cage and Parke dragged him back to the ground. Parke landed some elbows and punches from the top. Kotani wasn't doing anything but covering up; the ref gave him some opportunity to do something, he didn't, and the fight was stopped.
WINNER: Parke via TKO at 3:46 of the second round
STAR RATING: (**-) Not a whole lot to this one here. Kotani didn't seem to have much to offer, and that stoppage came because he wasn't fighting back anymore.
FIGHT TWO: IAN MCCALL VS. BRAD PICKETT (FLYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: McCall bounced around the outside a bit to kick off. He got in an inside leg kick, and Pickett popped in with a right hand. McCall landed another hard leg kick and avoided the counter. McCall landed a left as he rushed in and stepped aside. Pickett ducked in, but McCall grabbed a headlock and landed a knee. Pickett pressed him to the cage, but as he threw a knee it went between the legs and the action was briefly halted. McCall landed a two punch combo as they restarted. McCall countered a takedown attempt with his own, but Pickett popped up and pressed McCall to the cage. They traded strikes in the clinch. Pickett landed an elbow and stopped a takedown attempt. They separated. McCall landed a left as he moved in. He connected on another. They both wound up big strikes but didn't hit their mark. McCall landed a nice straight left again. Another left hand landed as McCall continued to pop in and out with offense. Pickett closed distance and grabbed the clinch, but got held up at the cage. McCall turned him around and got in a few strikes, including a hard knee to the body before separating. Pickett got in a nice right hand as he moved back in. They traded some strikes in the center, though neither landed flush. Pickett got in a right hand. They both missed a few strikes. They traded strikes. Pickett got in a couple of right hands. McCall landed a nice straight left. Pickett tripped McCall up at the cage before the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 McCall. Pickett had a little success, but McCall did more overall in that round.
ROUND TWO: Pickett pressed in early and landed a couple strikes. McCall fired back. McCall scored a takedown, but Pickett moved back to his feet quickly. McCall grabbed a body lock and scored a nice trip, quickly getting to full mount. Pickett tried desperately to buck him off, and managed to capture the leg for half guard. Pickett then exploded out and escaped to his feet. McCall circled on the outside and popped in with a few strikes. Pickett fired off a couple but McCall had circled out. McCall connected on that left hand again. They both missed a few strikes. Pickett connected on a right hand in an exchange. They each landed a couple of strikes and then McCall shot in. Pickett held it off. McCall landed a body kick. He connected on it again. Pickett caught it, but McCall landed a clinch strike and circled out. McCall caught Pickett low with a kick and time was called. Pickett continued moving forward and clinched, but McCall grabbed a front head lock and landed a few knees. Pickett landed a right hand. McCall circled out and fired off a jab. They each missed in close. More misses as McCall stepped forward. Pickett landed to the body on a few strikes. Pickett grabbed a single leg, ate a few strikes, and let it go. McCall went for a spinning back fist but tripped. Pickett tried to capitalize but McCall kept him off and circled out before the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 McCall. However, McCall continues to move backward and circle around, which in the past has led to the guy moving forward taking rounds from judges.
ROUND THREE: While circling around, McCall landed a hard high kick. He continued to pop in with offense and avoid counters. McCall landed another body kick while circling. Pickett tried to chase him down but missed. They traded strikes in a solid exchange. McCall landed another body kick. McCall landed a few more strikes. Another body kick. Pickett tried to walk him down but missed the right hand. He dropped down and tried to complete a takedown, but McCall held it off. They traded knees but Pickett held the clinch. McCall finally separated and circled out. They fired off strikes, with each connecting on a few. McCall landed a body kick and shot in. Pickett pulled off a trip, but McCall popped back up. McCall landed another body kick. Pickett missed a right. McCall fired off a few strikes and circled out. McCall timed a takedown nicely and planted Pickett. He tried to step over to mount, but just got half guard. He landed a few strikes as Pickett turned to his side. McCall nicely passed to side control and stepped over to mount, but Pickett escaped quickly to half guard. McCall moved to half guard on the other side and stayed busy on top. He landed some strikes to the head and body. Pickett tried to escape but McCall circled to side control. Pickett moved to his feet and they traded strikes at the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 McCall. Was a closer round until the takedown, and McCall worked effectively enough from the top. He should win this fight, but again, the first two rounds could be close for the judges live.
WINNER: McCall via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**) Competitive fight, but there wasn't a ton of effective offense to it. Lots of movement, not much damage, and McCall could have gotten himself in trouble with his movement on the outside and allowing Pickett to move forward.
FIGHT THREE: GUNNAR NELSON VS. ZAK CUMMINGS (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: After a brief stand off, Nelson tossed out a strike and clinched. They battled in the clinch, and Nelson eventually landed a big knee to the face to separate. Nelson landed a right hand. He missed a strike, then came back in with another right hand. The action got a bit tentative. Nelson tossed out a body kick. Nelson missed an overhand right. He landed another right. Cummings tried to take his back standing, but Nelson kept himself standing and got turned around. Cummings landed an uppercut and they separated again. Nelson went for a head kick that just grazed Cummings. They slowed down again. Lots of stretches of inaction in this fight. Cummings tried a jumping knee and Nelson threw a right hand. The crowd got a little bit restless. Cummings tried to walk him down, then they clinched. Cummings landed a knee. Nelson pushed him off. Cummings got in a short flurry and then a knee at the cage. He backed off, and they just walked around a bit before the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cummings. His final flurry was the most effective of the round, and neither did much overall. Could easily go to Nelson as well, but it was close.
ROUND TWO: Cummings closed the distance in the first minute, landed a couple of strikes, and clinched. He landed a few strikes and Nelson tried to grab a hold of him. He turned him around and landed a knee to the gut. Cummings powered him back to the cage. He landed a couple of knees. More jockeying for position before they finally separated. Nelson landed a hard counter right as Cummings connected on some leg kicks. Things slowed down again for a lengthy stretch. Cummings missed a few strikes. Nelson then popped in with a hard straight right that sent Cummings' head snapping back. No follow up though. Cummings got in a hard leg kick. Nelson landed a right hand as Cummings circled on the outside. Nelson landed a kick but Cummings caught it. Nelson balanced well. He grabbed a front headlock, pulled Cummings to the ground, and immediately transitioned to take his back. Fantastic sequence. He landed some strikes and looked for an opening. He locked on the rear naked choke, and forced the tap with time winding down. Would have been nice to see that much earlier given how little action there was in the first nine minutes, but that final 40 seconds was awesome.
WINNER: Nelson via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:48 of the second round
STAR RATING: (**+) That's all for the final 40 seconds or so. The rest of the fight was slow, methodical, mostly dull, etc., but from the moment Nelson grabbed the headlock to drag Cummings down to the finish, it was excellent work.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FOUR: CONOR MCGREGOR VS. DIEGO BRANDAO (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Brandao circled early and popped off a head kick that grazed McGregor. He was firing as McGregor took the center. McGregor threw out a few strikes. Brandao grabbed a clinch and pressed McGregor to the cage. McGregor turned him around. They each landed a few clinch strikes. Brandao got in a few knees and turned McGregor around. He went for a trip but McGregor reversed him on the way down and rolled to the top. Brandao kicked him off but McGregor tried to stack him. Brandao went for a leg, McGregor countered, and Brandao landed some upkicks. He attacked for the leg again, but McGregor countered once more and landed some strikes from the top. Brandao continued trying to set something up fro his back, but McGregor defended and landed some strikes from the top. Things slowed down a little, then Brandao kicked him off and got to his feet. McGregor landed a left hand as Brandao got to his feet. McGregor pressed in and fired off some strikes. He landed a spinning kick and Brandao slipped a bit. Brandao kept moving in and he landed a right hand. McGregor walked him back to the cage and teed off. Brandao went down off a left hand, McGregor followed him to the ground, and the ref had to step in as Brandao could only cover up. The crowd went nuts as McGregor scores his third straight UFC win.
WINNER: McGregor via TKO at 4:05 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***-) Good, exciting fight. Brandao came out crazy early, and tried to make it a scrap, but McGregor was just the better fighter. Again, this doesn't make McGregor a superstar anywhere but Ireland, but it's another necessary win for him to establish himself further. Let's see what he can do against a top ten guy.
-McGregor said he was going to go backstage with Lorenzo Fertitta, drink some whiskey, and talk about futbol stadiums and world title fights next. He got the crowd riled further when talking about the Irish fighters going undefeated on the card: “We're not here to take part, we're here to take over.”
-Thanks for joining us here this afternoon, we'll have more on this throughout the weekend, and we'll turn our attention to next week and the UFC on Fox 12 event in San Jose!
DON'T GO YET... WE SUGGEST THESE MMATORCH ARTICLES, TOO!
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
