UFC Dublin raises questions for up-and-coming British & Irish talent
For once, Conor McGregor not in the spotlight!
Tuesday 27 October 2015 08:31, UK
A raucous and passionate atmosphere made the UFC’s return to Dublin a successful one, but what did we learn from the fights?
The event was ravaged by injury withdrawals with both of the main fights cancelled at short-notice yet a host of British and Irish athletes stepped up to the plate.
Here are five thoughts from UFC Dublin.
Holohan's rise was too quick
Little over a week ago, Paddy Holohan's bout against Louis Smolka was supposed to be the fourth on the bill but the Dublin native saw himself sky-rocketed into the chance of a lifetime to headline the event due to a spate of injuries.
A year ago he was the curtain-jerker as the mighty Conor McGregor sent his bandwagon spiralling out of control when the UFC visited Ireland, but on Saturday Holohan found himself as the headliner in front of his baying compatriots.
The opportunity vanished in a flash, however, as Holohan suffered a submission defeat in the second round to Smolka, briefly silencing the otherwise partisan fans. An experience to remember for the Irishman, but one that will ultimately serve as motivation to improve.
Parke proved Poirier correct
When Donegal's Joe Duffy withdrew from his main-event slot with just days remaining, Dustin Poirier was left with two options - either fight Norman Parke at short-notice or fly back to America having not fought at all. He chose not to step in the cage.
The decision left UFC Dublin without its biggest fight and Poirier was forced to explain that the risk of combatting Parke was not worth the reward. Parke, the Northern Irishman from Bushmills, remained in his scheduled fight against Reza Madadi.
A skilful three-round decision victory for Parke, spurred on by Irish fans from the other side of the border, perhaps proved that Poirier was correct not to treat him lightly and head home unscathed.
Mixed results for Brits and Irish
McGregor tweeted that "the game is truly bitter sweet" having watched training partners falter on home soil. The competitive match-making of the UFC foiled a home-sweep on the Emerald Isle.
Only three Irish athletes - Parke, Aisling Daly and Neil Seery - recorded victories while Holohan and Cathal Pendred fell short. Scottish representatives won and lost, while Tom Breese was the winning Englishman.
The mixed results were a reminder that, on the fiercely back-and-forth stage of the UFC, Europeans are steadily growing into a world once dominated by Americans but there is plenty more to do.
McGregor in the back seat? Surely not!
He asked not once, but twice, but eventually the UFC's biggest male star was held back from his natural inclination to fight in his home city.
McGregor is due to unify world championships with Jose Aldo in December but still demanded a piece of the pie - he first asked for a fight against Urijah Faber and then offered to step in with a few days' notice to replace the injured Joe Duffy against Dustin Poirier.
His requests fell on deaf ears and he had to make do with a front-row seat.
What did Rothwell do wrong?
Ben Rothwell was a viable contender in the heavyweight division yet somehow left Dublin without fighting and having seen an injured adversary scheduled into a high-profile future bout.
No 7 ranked Rothwell's co main-event slot was scrapped when Stipe Miocic pulled out injured and, understandably, nobody found it wise to trade punches with 'Big Ben' having not prepared meticulously for the occasion.
Yet the ever-game Rothwell, who travelled to Ireland anyway, found out that No 3 ranked Miocic has been paired with No 4 ranked Andrei Arlovski in a January collision that is likely to deem the next challenger to the championship. So what's Rothwell to do?
