Darren Till and Nicolas Dalby put on one hell of a show Saturday at UFC Fight Night 76, and earned rightful bonus money for the Dublin card’s “Fight of the Night.”
The three-round fight ended in a majority draw, with Dalby securing a 10-8 after a relentless third round assault. He needed that round to avoid the loss, as the 22-year-old Till had a strong first ten minutes, which included a knock down and near finish at the end of the first round with a great uppercut. The great part about the third round was Dalby knew he was down, and did everything possible to finish off Till, who revealed afterward that he had separated his shoulder in the second round.
A majority draw was the end result, and kept both fighters officially – and deservedly – undefeated. That they’ve also each got an extra $50,000 to their names is also well deserved.
In the other bonuses announced for the event, Tom Breese and Neil Seery took home extra money with “Performance of the Night” awards for their finishes over Cathal Pendred and Jon Delos Reyes, respectively.
Breese beat Pendred up badly in the first round on the afternoon’s preliminary card, cracking him with vicious combinations before finishing things off with precision against the cage at the end of the round. Seery had a good battle going with Delos Reyes to kick off the main card, then caught him in a slick guillotine choke in transition as Delos Reyes picked him up for a takedown.
Penick’s Analysis: Dalby and Till both left great impressions, and both seem to have futures in the UFC’s welterweight division. Till, especially at just 22-years-old, looked really impressive through the opening ten minutes, while Dalby showed off his own gas tank, heart, and veteran savvy in the third to come back as strong as he did. Neither have tasted defeat in a combined 29 fights, and we’re going to see both get into a good spot for their next fight. As for the “Performance of the Night” awards, both Breese and Seery had great wins, but I’m a bit surprised Louis Smolka didn’t get one for his main event win over Paddy Holohan. He had an excellent performance in a spot he was thrown in with a hostile crowd, and it was every bit as deserving as the others.
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