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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC FIGHT NIGHT 76
OCTOBER 24, 2015
LIVE FROM DUBLIN, IRELAND
The UFC's return to Dublin today on UFC Fight Pass is a much lesser card than it was just two weeks ago, but the show will go on anyway for the Irish crowd. We'll have live thoughts and quick results on today's preliminary card right as it kicks off at 1:15PM ET, followed by full play by play for this afternoon's main card at 4PM ET. Stick with us to follow along all day!
=====UFC Fight Pass Prelim Quick Results=====
-Garreth McLellan def. Bubba Bush via TKO at 4:58 of the third round
Note: About what you'd expect from an opening Fight Pass card bout. Lots of exhausted wrestling, a significant fence grab in round three, poor fight I.Q., poor gas tanks, etc. McLellan was stronger and more effective down the stretch, and forced the finish late with some brutal strikes on the ground; the ref easily could have stopped it earlier but seemed to want to let Bush make it to the horn.
-Darren Elkins def. Robert Whiteford via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Note: Whiteford was competitive throughout, and did some damage in each of the three rounds, but Elkins' grappling game was just too much to overcome. Whiteford couldn't keep himself standing, and Elkins managed to get in some good work offensively once he got Whiteford to the ground. He put a cap on the performance with a close rear naked choke attempt at the end of the third round.
-Tom Breese def. Cathal Pendred via TKO at 4:37 of the first round
Note: Bloody, massively violent, and one-sided beating from Breese. He peppered Pendred early and often, busting up his nose badly, then finished it off with some pinpoint striking up against the cage. Really good work from Breese overall.
-Krzysztof Jotko def. Scott Askham via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Note: Close, competitive, violent, and bloody fight. Both got in significant offense and had cases for two rounds of the fight. Jotko got in more offense overall, and did a lot of serious damage, especially late. Still, rough one for Askham given the effort he put in as well. Solid fight.
Note: Good, entertaining performance from Aisling Daly in front of a massively supportive home crowd. She had a strong third round, doing damage down the stretch while standing over Almeida to put a stamp on the fight, but the first two rounds were fairly close and left the decision at least slightly in question. However, Daly on the whole did more in the fight and deserved the win.
-Stevie Ray def. Mickael Lebout via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Note: Not really much of a fight. There were spurts of offense but they were followed by long sections of inactivity. Ray was the clear winner, but the fight itself felt like it dragged badly.
=====UFC Fight Pass Main Card=====
FIGHT ONE: NEIL SEERY VS. JON DELOS REYES (FLYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Delos Reyes came forward swinging, but Seery got the better of the first exchange. Seery got in a nice combo with a kick at the end. Seery landed another nice combination as Delos Reyes closed the distance to clinch. Seery circled out and separated. Seery landed another short combination. He continued to throw several strikes at a time, while Delos Reyes wasn't having a ton of early success. Delos Reyes got another clinch and tripped Seery up. Seery used a butterfly guard and tossed out an upkick. He went for an arm and used that to scramble back to his feet. He landed another strike and moved forward. They stood in the center and swung; Seery continued getting the better of each exchange. Delos Reyes tried to shoot in, but Seery grabbed a headlock and used it to score his own takedown after threatening the choke. Delos Reyes got his back on the cage and used it to stand. Seery got in a knee and stayed heavy on him. They separated and Seery stalked. Delos Reyes tossed out a few strikes. They clinched and Seery landed a couple of hard punches. Seery got in another short knee. Delos Reyes landed a strike late.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Seery. Good opening round for the Irishman. He was a lot more active on the feet and just had much more success in every aspect of that round.
ROUND TWO: Seery once again opened with several strikes in a row. Delos Reyes got in a knee. Seery kept throwing multiple strikes at a time, something Delos Reyes was failing to do. Delos Reyes caught a kick and went for a takedown, but Seery grabbed for a guillotine in mid-air. He lost the hold but tried to scramble. Delos Reyes took his back, but Seery held wrist control and defended. Seery tried to escape to his feet to buck Delos Reyes off. He finished pulling him through and went for his own takedown. They clinched, and Seery went for a takedown. He completed it, but only briefly, and Delos Reyes backed off. THey traded strikes, and Delos Reyes got the better of an exchange for the first time in the fight. They traded punches in a wild flurry. Delos Reyes went for another takedown, but this time Seery caught the guillotine mid-air much tighter, and after they slammed to the ground he held onto it tightly and forced the quick tap. Nice transitional submission from Seery.
WINNER: Seery via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:12 of the second round
STAR RATING: (***-) Very fun fight, really good second round, and a really great transitional finish from Seery. Just a fast-paced, action-filled, and entertaining fight.
FIGHT TWO: NICOLAS DALBY VS. DARREN TILL (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Dalby tossed out some early kicks. Till grabbed a Thai clinch and landed a few knees. Till stepped in with a solid left hand. He got in an even better one as Dalby tried to step in. Great strike. Till stayed patient, then fired off another left hand. He added in a couple short knees in close before backing off. Till unloaded two brutal kicks to the body. He missed a left hand and Dalby clinched him up and drove him to the cage. Till got free and circled out. He landed another hard body kick. He caught one thrown by Dalby and shrugged the blow off. Dalby went high with a kick and Till shook his head. Till got in another left hand, moved in close, then landed a knee. Dalby turned him around in a clinch, but Till again easily got free and circled out. Dalby landed an inside leg kick. Till went high with a kick. He got the left hand in, then a knee. He stepped in with an elbow to the head. Till just firing all over the place in the opening round. Till got in another left hand. Till landed the left hand again. Dalby scored a right hand out of a brief clinch. Till went up high to the body with a kick. He dropped Dalby with an uppercut out of nowhere! He landed a few more strikes but Dalby survived to the horn. Fantastic opening round for Till.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Till. Ten more seconds and this fight would have been over. Great work from Till so far; he just looks infinitely more comfortable right now.
ROUND TWO: Till went back on the attack early, working his left hand, getting in knees, and keeping Dalby off his game. Till barely missed a head kick that could have ended things. Till barely missed the uppercut that caused the first round knock down. He connected the next time, then got in a knee. He snuck around behind Dalby standing and nearly dragged him down. Dalby stayed standing with Till on his back. Dalby turned into him and they separated. Till caught a kick and landed a strike. Till landed another left hand. Till landed a hard body kick. He landed a straight kick to the body. Dalby grabbed a body lock for a takedown, but Till popped right back to his feet. Dalby got in a knee, then tried to drop down but got stuffed. Dalby couldn't get much going in the clinch and things stalled out until he separated. Till barely missed an overhand left. He got in a couple of straight left hands after catching a kick. He landed one more at the horn that sent Dalby reeling.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Till. Not as one-sided or action-packed, but still another clear round for the 22-year-old. Good fight for him so far.
ROUND THREE: Dalby tried to clinch early. He scored an early strike. He got a head kick and tried to rush Till, but got immediately slowed down. Till went for a takedown, but Dalby effectively defended and escaped. Dalby landed a hard right hand, and he was having his best success offensively of the fight early in the third. Till landed a hard short elbow. Dalby shot in and went for a takedown on the cage. Till got back to his feet. He nearly got hit by an illegal knee. Dalby scored a big right hand. He started unloading on Till. He landed six or seven vicious punches before driving Till to the cage. He briefly backed off the clinch with a few strikes. Till fired off a combination. Dalby landed a big flurry. Dalby scored a takedown on the cage into half guard and easily passed to mount. Till covered up, but wasn't doing much more than that. He nearly gave up his back, but not entirely. Dalby landed a bunch of strikes and Till was in trouble. Till got back to his feet and fired off a punch. He separated to reset with a minute left. Dalby rushed in and clinched. Dalby landed a couple of knees, then tripped Till up briefly. They stood again. They traded punches again. Dalby landed a big flurry on the cage. Till fired back with a couple elbows. Dalby landed another flurry. He got in a hard knee, then another to the head, and held the clinch to the horn. Fantastic fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Dalby. Crazy final round, but I still don't think it's going to be enough for Dalby. Best he can hope for is a draw, I think, if the judges didn't give Till a 10-8 first. Real fun fight between two undefeated guys.
WINNER: Majority draw (29-28 Till, 28-28, 28-28)
-The crowd booed slightly and Dalby chastised them and raised Till's hand. Lots of respect from both. Till said his shoulder went out in the second, but he thought "f*** this s***" and went out in the third anyway.
STAR RATING: (****-) Really, the draw is appropriate; neither needed to have a mark added to the loss column after that effort. It was a fantastically violent fight, with great work from Till through the first ten minutes, and an incredible comeback effort from Dalby in the final five minutes. About as entertaining a draw as you're ever going to see.
FIGHT THREE: NORMAN PARKE VS. REZA MADADI (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Madadi wasted no time driving Parke to the cage, where they jockeyed for position briefly before separating. Madadi scored a body kick. He drove in with some body punches for a brief clinch. They clinched up again at the cage. They separated again after neither gained position. Madadi landed a hard inside leg kick. Parke got in with a body kick after avoiding a rush. Madadi shot in for a single leg, but got stuffed on the cage. Parke grabbed a front headlock but quickly lost it. They jockeyed for position on the cage, slowing things down. This fight's going about as expected, which is to say it's not all that good. Madadi tried to pull Parke down, but failed on the attempt. They separated finally with just over a minute left in the round. Both blocked punches from the other. Madadi shot in and again failed. Parke got in some strikes up at the cage. Madadi landed a knee in a clinch. Parke connected to the body. He landed a few more in combination. Parke landed a solid left hand late in the round. They clinched briefly again. Madadi got in a right hand and avoided a late rush at the horn. Not a good round, but solid final minute from Parke.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Parke. Took the round late with a good offensive effort in the final 90 seconds.
ROUND TWO: Parke opened with some kicks and walked Madadi down. He opened with several more to the body and legs. He landed a nice counter-left as Madadi missed a strike. He avoided a rush, then landed a kick to the body. Parke with another hard two-punch combo. Madadi scored a takedown, but Parke scrambled and got to his feet on the cage. Madadi stayed on him, but Parke got himself turned around and stuffed the effort. He came right back ahead with a few strikes. Madadi fired back. Madadi landed a hard left. Parke then clinched up to slow things down. Things stalled out in the clinch. He finally broke with a nice left hand. He went up high with a kick that was blocked. After another clinch, Parke circled out and landed a hard body kick. He got in a short combination and Madadi smiled. Parke landed a few more. Madadi got in a hard strike and shot in, but got stuffed. Madadi connected on a couple strikes. Parke landed a couple of strikes and clinched. Madadi stuffed a takedown attempt, and they slowed down from there. Madadi got in a late uppercut.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Parke. He was more active in the striking game, and neither did a ton effectively in their grappling.
ROUND THREE: Parke kicked off the round attacking. They traded strikes in the center. Madadi shot in for a single leg, but Parke stuffed the attempt. Madadi started coming forward, and he landed a few hard strikes. Parke tossed out a couple of kicks to the body. He landed a jab. Madadi landed a nice right hand. He connected on a combination. They traded punches. Madadi landed a knee to the body in a clinch. Parke half-heartedly shot in. Parke got in a knee to the body. Madadi landed an uppercut, then a few more punches. He landed another flurry. He shot in but got turned around on the cage. Madadi making a mistake giving up on strikes as Parke seems to have slowed. They both missed strikes. Parke then pressed in and scored a takedown. Madadi got his back to the cage and tried to scramble up. He got to his feet quickly, but Parke stayed on him standing. Madadi got free and came forward. He landed a short combo. Parke shot in and got stuffed. Both looked exhausted. Madadi had a takedown attempt stuffed. Parke tried to take his back late, but Madadi held it off. The fight petered out in the clinch to the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Madadi? He was more effective striking that round, and though he got taken down it was quite brief. Parke just did very little offensively in that final frame.
WINNER: Parke via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**-) It had its moments, but it wasn't much of a fight. Faded down the stretch as both were exhausted late.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FOUR: PATRICK HOLOHAN VS. LOUIS SMOLKA (FLYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Great reaction to Holohan from the crowd, as expected. Holohan shot in early, locked on a body lock, and brought Smolka to the ground in side control. Smolka scrambled and went for a D'Arce attempt from the bottom. Holohan circled out effectively and forced Smolka to let it go. Holohan went for a choke of his own, but Smolka scrambled up and out. Holohan nearly got a twister, but Smolka again scrambled. Lots of entertaining ground work early. Smolka kicked him up and off and got to his feet. Holohan tried to bring him back down, and Smolka got on top. Holohan went for a heel hook, but Smolka took top position and tried to advance position. Holohan swept him with a leg lock. Smolka went for one of his own and got to his feet briefly, only to get taken right back down. Holohan tried to take his back, but Smolka got to his feet and landed a head kick! He landed another strike and Holohan shot in. Smolka stuffed it this time. They traded punches. Holohan landed a punch. Smolka got in a front kick to the face. He threw the side kick to the body and landed a counter uppercut as Holohan came in. Holohan went for the shot and Smolka attempted to hold it off. He landed a hard elbow, then a few punches. He got in another elbow, and a big flurry late. Crazy fun round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Holohan. Smolka was having more success late, but Holohan did some good work there throughout the round. Lots of fun ground and striking exchanges in that round.
ROUND TWO: Holohan landed some early strikes, but Smolka fired back. They traded shots once again. Holohan rushed in and tried to take his back standing. He dragged him down and tried to get his hooks in. He tried to flatten Smolka out. He rolled, got the body triangle on, and went for the choke. Smolka defended nicely, though. He tried to turn into Holohan's guard, but Holohan held position well. Smolka finally turned into the guard. Smolka avoided a submission attempt from the bottom and landed some hard elbows. Smolka locked on a tight standing guillotine but gave it up as they went to the ground. Smolka landed a hard elbow. He landed several more. Holohan went for the omoplata, but Smolka rolled through. He got in some strikes at the cage as Holohan tried to scramble. Smolka landed a kick to the body. He landed some strikes and moved into the mount. Smolka postured up and rained down strikes as the crowd tried to will Holohan into it. He gave up his back and Smolka locked on a rear naked choke. He flattened Holohan out and forced him to tap, deflating the crowd. Great performance from Smolka from about the three minute mark of the first round on. Good win. Fun fight.
WINNER: Smolka via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:09 of the second round
-The crowd gave Smolka some respect for his effort, though they were certainly a lot quieter than they were about five minutes ago.
STAR RATING: (***+) Really fun fight. Great, great scrambles and transitions and attempts on the ground from both. Smolka's ability to escape is fantastic, and he used it to get out of trouble, and took over from there.
Holohan soaked up the crowd response despite the loss, but still earned their respect: "I never said I was the best, I never said I was born gifted, but I'll tell you, when I come out here, I give you everything."
-That's another event in the books! We'll have plenty more to say about these fights and more throughout the week as we move ahead to an absolutely packed month of November, so stick with us at MMATorch for all of your MMA needs!
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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