Ireland's Conor McGregor once again delivered on the hype tonight, this time on home soil at the O2 Arena in Dublin, with a first round stoppage of Brazilian Diego Brandao.
The Dubliner arrived in the ring after hearing, at least, all of his Straight Blast Gym comrades win their respective bouts and stood in the centre of it not five minutes later talking of selling out football stadiums.
McGregor and UFC might have that marmite effect on the population at large, but on the evidence here tonight the suggestion does not seem that far-fetched.
Brandao left in a hurry, having been caught by a crippling bodyshot and a flurry of right hands to the head against the cage before referee Leon Roberts decided everyone had seen enough.
Clearly for McGregor, who warmly touched gloves with his opponent prior to the fight and despite the pre-bout war of words, there will be plenty more for people to see. And judging by the atmosphere throughout the night the crowd would buy tickets to the next show on the way home if the UFC were wily enough to be selling them outside.
“I had a feeling if I had a chance to drop him, I’d try to pass his guard and advance position,” McGregor said. “I said I was going to put him away in the first round, and I put him away in the first round. There’s not a man alive who can come on this soil and beat me.”
The only calm man in the arena, McGregor added: “What’s next for me? I’m going to go backstage with (UFC ceo) Mr Lorenzo Fertitta, have a little whiskey, and talk about being in a football stadium.”
The win completed a clean sweep for the Irish on the card, which includes honorary Irishman Gunnar Nelson, a close ally and training partner of McGregor’s.
The Icelandic fighter beat Zak Cummings in the typically understated fashion, a rear naked choke his submission of choice in the second round after a cagey first that the American may have edged.
The night opened with a with Tallaght native Patrick Holohan using the same method to end his bout with American Josh Sampo.
“I don’t know about you Dublin, but I’m dying for a cup of tea,” he said afterwards.
That got crowd’s thirst up for more and further wins followed for McGregor’s good friend, middleweight Cathal Pendred, and Dublin flyweight Neil Seery.
“That’s testament to what you can do if you believe in yourself and work hard,” said Pendred afterwards, but if anything it was testament to his bravery for staying in the ring after ‘The Punisher’ was the punishee in the first round at the hands of Mike King.
The Ohio man, however, had no answer to another Pendred submission in the second, this time courtesy of an arm triangle choke.
Seery was utterly dominant against English rival Phil Harris and brought his record to 14-10 with a unanimous 30-27 decision after three rounds.
In the first fight of the main card Antrim lightweight Norman Parke beat Japan’s Naoyuki Kotani, who was saved by the bell in the first, only be stopped in the second round after a flurry of powerful lefts.
In the most evenly contest bout of the night Californian flyweight Ian McCall beat London Brad ‘One Punch’ Pickett, who lost on the judges decision of 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.
