The two flyweights engaged in a “Round of the Year” contender throughout a memorable first five minutes, their round one marked by wild scrambles on the canvas and relentless action. Holohan pushed a merciless pace but could not break Smolka (10-1, 4-1 UFC), who remained calm in the face of a hostile crowd and a motivated opponent.
Holohan moved to the Hawaiian’s back in the second round and fished for a rear-naked choke, but Smolka sprang the reversal and returned to his feet. Once there, he dragged Holohan to the mat under threat of a guillotine, fired away with elbows and kicked the grounded Irishman in the gut. He later advanced to full mount, backed it up with punches and elbows and forced Holohan to surrender his back. The choke was in place soon after, and the fight was done.
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Parke Outpoints Returning Madadi
“The Ultimate Fighting: The Smashes” winner Norman Parke threw the brakes on a two-fight losing streak with a unanimous decision over the returning Reza Madadi in the lightweight co-main event. All three cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Parke (21-4-1, 5-2-1 UFC).
Competing for the first time since April 2013, Madadi (13-4, 2-2 UFC) never seemed to establish a comfortable rhythm. Parke controlled the majority of standup exchanges with straight lefts, shut down the Iranian-born Swede in the clinch and even threw in a takedown in the third round. Madadi picked up his pace over the final five minutes -- he did some nice work with his right uppercut -- but failed to turn the corner against the judo black belt.
Madadi, 37, has lost two of his last three fights.
Dalby-Till Slugfest Results in Draw
Undefeated welterweights Nicolas Dalby and Darren Till fought to a majority draw in an entertaining featured attraction at 170 pounds. One judge cast a 29-28 scorecard for Till, while the other two saw it 28-28.
Both men came close to authoring finishes. Till (13-0-1, 1-0-1 UFC) piled up points with straight lefts and punishing body kicks throughout a one-sided first round. The 22-year-old Brazil-based Brit leveled Dalby with a counter left uppercut late in the frame and pounced for a potential finish, the bell halting his onslaught. After they battled to a virtual stalemate in round two, Dalby (14-0-1, 1-0-1 UFC) made a serious move in the third. There, he had a fading Till reeling with a couple of head kicks and a beautiful close-quarters knee strike. The unbeaten Dane then executed a takedown, climbed to full mount and let loose with hammerfist-heavy ground-and-pound. Till survived and returned to his feet, only to be met by a soul-sapping clinch from which Dalby uncorked standing elbows, punches and knees. Alas, a stoppage was not to be had.
Neither Till nor Dalby seemed disappointed when the draw was announced.
Ray Winning Streak Reaches Five
Sharp punching combinations and sneaky kicks, high and low, spurred former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship and British Association of Mixed Martial Arts titleholder Steven Ray to a unanimous verdict over Mickael Lebout in a preliminary lightweight contest. All three judges scored it for Ray (19-5, 3-0 UFC): 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27.
Lebout (14-5-1, 1-2 UFC) struggled to piece together meaningful offense throughout the 15-minute match. Ray snapped his head back more than once with 1-2 combinations, found a home for his straight left and invited the Frenchman to fight in tight spaces, as he leaned on short punches, foot stomps and the occasional Thai clinch. The 25-year-old Ray put the finishing touches on a fifth straight victory in the closing seconds of round three, where he hoisted Lebout skyward and dumped him on the canvas with disdain.
Daly Outworks Almeida to Decision
SBG Ireland’s Aisling Daly pocketed her third win in four appearances, as she captured a unanimous decision against onetime Jungle Fight champion Ericka Almeida in a three-round undercard pairing at 115 pounds. Daly (16-6, 2-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 29-27 and 29-28 marks from the judges.
Almeida (7-2, 0-2 UFC) climbed to the Irishwoman’s back late in the second round but otherwise found herself playing defense. Daly punched into close quarters, stayed busy in the clinch and moved into top position when opportunities presented themselves. She did some of her most important work in the third round, where she chewed up the clock and exacted damage on Almeida. Daly ate a few upkicks on the way in, but mixed standing right hands and hammerfists to the head with elbows to the knee and punches to the shin and lower leg.
Jotko Edges Bloodied Askham
Superior on the ground and on the feet, Krzysztof Jotko eked out a split decision against former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion Scott Askham in a preliminary middleweight scrap. All three cageside judges saw it 29-28, two of them siding with Jotko (16-1, 3-1 UFC).
Outside of a front kick to the face, some stinging leg kicks and a few submission attempts off his back, Askham (13-2, 1-2 UFC) was outgunned. Jotko delivered a pair of takedowns in the first round, opening a small cut near the Englishman’s left eye with the ground-and-pound that followed. In the second, the 26-year-old Pole had Askham bleeding from multiple cuts, as he tipped his spear with probing punches and an Anderson Silva-style vertical elbow.
Neither man made much of a move in the third, and Askham failed to produce the finish he needed. He has lost two of his last three fights.
Undefeated Breese Routs Pendred
Tristar Gym export Tom Breese wiped out SBG Ireland’s Cathal Pendred with first-round punches in their undercard clash at 170 pounds. Finished for the first time in nearly five years, Pendred (17-4-1, 4-2 UFC) succumbed to blows 4:37 into round one.
Breese (9-0, 2-0 UFC) handled his business with power and precision. The 24-year-old sat down Pendred with a counter left inside the first minute, leaving him with a badly bloodied nose. Later, a body kick doubled over the Irishman before a pair of crushing lefts sent him to the mat. Covered in his fallen opponent’s blood, Breese pounced for the finish, his kneeling rights and lefts prompting referee Leon Roberts to act.
Pendred, 28, has lost consecutive bouts for the first time in his career.
Grinder Elkins Downs Whiteford
Repeated takedowns, dogged top control and steady ground-and-pound carried Darren Elkins to a unanimous decision over American Top Team’s Robert Whiteford in preliminary featherweight affair. All three cageside judges arrived at the same verdict: 30-27 for Elkins (19-5, 9-4 UFC).
Whiteford (12-3, 2-2 UFC) performed well on the feet -- his straight left and overhand right were effective weapons -- but he could not stay upright with any consistency. Elkins grinded on him throughout the second and third rounds, advancing to the Scotsman’s back on multiple occasions. The Duneland Vale Tudo rep staggered Whiteford with a front kick and overhand right in the third, secured another takedown and spent the closing seconds sinking a palm-to-palm rear-naked choke.
The 31-year-old Elkins has won eight of his last 11 fights.
McClellan Stoppage Burns Bush
Garreth McLellan took out former Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder Bubba Bush with late third-round ground-and-pound in their undercard battle at 185 pounds. The end came 4:58 into round three.
Bush (8-3, 0-1 UFC) executed a pair of takedowns in the first round but failed to consolidate them with damage and gassed quickly thereafter. McLellan turned the tide in his favor in round two, where he benefitted from an apparent fence grab that allowed him to land in full mount. Referee Piotr Michalak issued a verbal warning for the infraction but allowed the South African to retain his dominant position. From there, McClellan tore into his American counterpart with punches and elbows, their frequency and intensity with each passing moment.
McLellan (13-3, 1-1 UFC) kicked off the third round with a lead right uppercut and then answered a Bush takedown with one of his own. The 33-year-old resumed his assault on the canvas, eventually forcing the stoppage with a series of unanswered punches.