UFC Fight Night Results: ‘McGregor vs. Brandao’ Play-by-Play & Updates

Patrick Holohan vs. Josh Sampo

Round 1

Neil Hall is the referee for today’s opening flyweight bout. Sampo takes the center of the cage and hits Holohan with an inside leg kick. Holohan quickly returns fire, sticking a pair of punches in the American’s face and then circling around Sampo to land a couple kicks to the body. The next time Holohan tries to dip inside, Sampo tags him with a right hand, then another a few seconds later. Holohan catches Sampo changing levels and floors “The Gremlin” with a massive uppercut. Sampo is all out of sorts, but referee Hall gives him every chance to recover even as Holohan lands some follow-up ground-and-pound. Two minutes into the round and Holohan finds himself on top, in Sampo’s guard. Now, Sampo has recovered and he’s shifting underneath. He catches Holohan in an armbar and goes belly-down, so Holohan stacks up and frees the limb, and then takes Sampo’s back in one swift move. Holohan slaps on a rear-naked choke, can’t get the tap at first, but makes an adjustment and forces Sampo to submit.

The Official Result

Patrick Holohan def. Josh Sampo via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) R1 3:06

Cody Donovan vs. Nikita Krylov

Round 1

Marc Goddard is the referee for this light heavyweight bout. Donovan takes the center while Krylov moves clockwise across the outside. The Russian pops Donovan with a hard left hand, then rushes him across the cage to clinch on the fence. Donovan reverses to take the outside position momentarily, only to be tripped to the ground. In a flash, Donovan grabs an armbar and goes belly-down, but Krylov snuffs it out. As the 205ers work back to their feet, Krylov catches his man in the Thai clinch and drills Donovan with a pair of knees to the face. Donovan gets a takedown in the center of the cage, now two minutes into the round. Donovan allows Krylov to stand, which may have been a mistake, as “Al Capone” pops him with a straight left hand and mugs him against the fence. A push kick from Krylov lands below Donovan’s beltline, and “Donnybrook” takes a minute to recover from the accidental foul. Upon resuming, Krylov has another left high kick blocked by Donovan’s glove as he tries to blitz the American on the fence. Donovan brings Krylov back to the ground with about 90 seconds on the clock and moves from knee-on-belly to back mount when Krylov rolls over. Krylov escapes a dangerous rear-naked choke attempt by rolling over. Donovan goes to his knees, and now it’s Krylov securing back mount and roughing up Donovan with right hands as the seconds tick down. The punches don’t look all that damaging but Donovan is offering nothing in return, and referee Goddard has seen enough.

The Official Result

Nikita Krylov def. Cody Donovan via TKO (Punches) R1 4:57

Trevor Smith vs. Tor Troeng

Round 1

Leon Roberts is the referee for this middleweight bout. Smith takes 10 seconds to shoot on Troeng’s legs, but the Swede stands up “Hot Sauce” from the high double-leg attempt and pushes him against the fence. Troeng holds Smith there with an underhook, then double underhooks, but they separate about 90 seconds into the round. A couple pawing left hands from Troeng find their mark before he moves to hold Smith against the cage again. Smith pulls Troeng off the fence, lands a knee up the middle and denies a trip attempt. A hard leg kick scores for Smith, but Troeng catches him in the next exchange with a sneaky left hook. Troeng catches a kick and shoves Smith to the ground, but Smith gets to his knees and tries to drive forward on a takedown as “The Hammer” comes in. Troeng works to secure a crucifix but Smith pulls his arm free, then drills Troeng with a knee to the head as they come back to their feet. They fight off the fence in the final seconds and Troeng catches Smith with an uppercut.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Troeng
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Troeng
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Troeng

Round 2

Troeng gets a fast takedown in the center of the cage and moves straight to full mount. Smith bucks him off to side control, hooks Troeng’s leg and sweeps to top position about 80 seconds into the round. Good right hands from Smith as he drops ground-and-pound through Troeng’s open guard. Smith passes to half guard and Troeng shrimps underneath, leaving Smith little room to strike. Smith tries to punch anyway and receives a warning from referee Roberts as he hits Troeng with several punches to the back of the head. Smith takes full mount again, scoots with Troeng over to the fence and keeps hold of the Swede as they climb to their feet with 90 seconds remaining. Troeng reverses to the outside position in the clinch, and they separate with one minute to go. Smith looks exhausted as he flicks out a tired leg kick, prompting Troeng to shoot for a takedown on the fence. Smith grabs a guillotine with his right arm as he’s taken down, and Troeng very nearly goes unconscious just before the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Smith
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Smith
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Smith

Round 3

Smith opens the final round with a leg kick and then fends off a pair of takedown attempts from Troeng in the clinch. “Hot Sauce” shoots a double-leg of his own but gets stuffed by Troeng, who tries to hop on his kneeling opponent’s back. Smith peels a leg off and scrambles to top position, winding up in Troeng’s half guard with 3:30 to go in the fight. Smith frames up an arm-triangle choke from half guard on the right side, so Troeng rolls to his left in an attempt to break it. Troeng explodes to his feet, threatening with a kimura, only to be dumped back to the canvas five seconds later. Troeng is on his knees now, with Smith holding his head in a brabo choke-type grip, just grinding Troeng’s head into the canvas. Smith stands up to throw a couple knees at Troeng’s body, and Troeng pulls guard to finish the fight.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Smith (29-28 Smith)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Smith (29-28 Smith)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Smith (29-28 Smith)

The Official Result

Trevor Smith def. Tor Troeng via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) R3 5:00

Mike King vs. Cathal Pendred

Round 1

Marc Goddard is the referee for this middleweight bout. King changes levels on the incoming Pendred and plows him to the ground with a double-leg in the first 10 seconds of the fight. Pendred is quickly back on his feet, and he defends another takedown attempt from King. Now it’s King landing a right hand, a kick behind it, and Pendred grabs hold of a rear waist lock to trip the American to the mat. King nearly hits a switch and instead scrambles back up, hitting Pendred with a short right in the clinch before separating. King tries another high double, can’t get it, and now he sends Pendred crashing to the mat with a heavy right hand. A wide-eyed Pendred survives King’s assault on the ground, but King is able to take full mount. Pendred gives up his back, withstands a rear-naked choke attempt, but he’s not out of trouble as King sits up high on his back and bashes him with both hands. King is riding high on the back, and now he peels off to attempt an armbar. Pendred pulls his arm free and gets back up with 45 seconds, looking very wobbly and sporting some damage on his right eye. King is walking down Pendred at the end of the frame, attempting a double on the fence.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 King
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-8 King
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 King

Round 2

Pendred moves cautiously around the outside, making King walk after him and popping the American with a couple sweeping left hooks. King lands a left of his own and continues marching forward to put a front kick in Pendred’s midsection. Pendred gets a rear waist lock, elevates King and slams him to the canvas. King lands on his knees, pins one of Pendred’s arms and reverses the position. The 185ers scramble back up, King walks after Pendred and hits the Irishman with a left high kick, then a right straight behind it. King’s hands are by his waist as he walks straight into the pocket, and Pendred makes him pay with a takedown near the fence. Pendred climbs on the kneeling King’s back and applies a rear-naked choke that puts the American to sleep and sends the Dublin crowd into a frenzy.

The Official Result

Cathal Pendred def. Mike King via Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) R2 3:33

Phil Harris vs. Neil Seery

Round 1

Neil Hall is the referee for this flyweight bout. Seery presses forward on Harris, who changes levels and reverses Seery’s direction with a double-leg against the fence. Harris changes to over-unders in the clinch, but Seery finds an angle to escape after sending a knee to Harris’ midsection. Harris whiffs on an overhand right to set up another takedown attempt, but again Seery refuses to be held on the fence. Seery fends off another wide, high double-leg attempt, resets and drills the “Phil Billy” with a right hook on the temple. Harris goes down in a daze but manages to hold Seery at bay. The Irishman stands and wants Harris to do the same. Seery is all confidence now, walking toward Harris with hands low and eating a jab for his trouble. Seery lands a clipping left hand; Harris grabs a single-leg and again is shoved away. Seery swarms Harris with wild punches against the cage and then gets a takedown of his own. Harris wants to keep it on the ground, but Seery orders him back up. Seery stuffs another takedown and tosses Harris to the ground, then motions for the Englishman to stand again. Seery’s hands are still low, marching on Harris with punches and now mixing in a body kick. Harris appears to sustain an eye poke just before the end of the round.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Seery
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Seery
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Seery

Round 2

Seery continues to press the action, picking at Harris with punches and stuffing another takedown. He shoves Harris to the ground and stands, leaving the Englishman on the canvas, and now Seery kicks at his legs for a few seconds before asking for a stand-up. Harris eats another hard right hook to try another level change, and this time the takedown is successful. Seery tries to hit the switch, can’t get a sweep but does find enough space to post and stand. Halfway through the round, the 125ers are back on their feet, Seery trying to take off Harris’ head with massive overhand rights. Harris connects with a short right hook, shoots for a double and gets stood up. Seery rushes ahead with 60 seconds on the clock, hooks Harris’ right leg and sweeps him to the ground. Seery stays standing, chopping at Harris’ legs until the 25-second mark when Harris gets back to his feet. Seery hits a double-leg takedown in the final seconds to finish the round on top.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Seery
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Seery
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Seery

Round 3

Harris throws an inside thigh kick that strays high, and Seery takes a minute to recover from the accidental groin strike. When they resume, Harris appears to have changed tactics a bit, now looking to counterstrike Seery in order to set up takedowns. It’s not working, and Seery turns Harris away when the Englishman comes shooting in for yet another double-leg. Seery backpedals to avoid a clinch, comes forward and decks Harris with a hard right hook on the end of a combination. Harris just keeps grasping for takedowns but can’t get a grip on the slippery Seery. A couple stiff jabs from Harris appear to have opened up a cut around the outside of Seery’s right eye. Harris shoots for a long, long takedown and gets tossed to the ground. Seery lets him back up, and now the flyweights are standing with 30 seconds on the clock. A weak shot from Harris finds him stuffed down to the ground. Seery stands over him with seconds to go and finishes the fight by diving into Harris’ guard with a nice right hand.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Seery (30-26 Seery)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Seery (30-27 Seery)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Seery (30-26 Seery)

The Official Result

Neil Seery def. Phil Harris via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) R3 5:00

Chris Dempsey vs. Ilir Latifi

Round 1

Leon Roberts is the referee for this light heavyweight bout. Dempsey inches forward on Latifi, staying out of range of the Swede’s heavy right hands. Latifi keeps firing the right, coming over the top and then hitting Dempsey with a chopping leg kick before circling out. The next low kick from Latifi has Dempsey limping. Dempsey grabs a front headlock 90 seconds into the round, but Latifi escapes and circles away. Dempsey hits the ground after the next leg kick, and Latifi blitzes the American as he stands back up. As they collide against the fence, Latifi lands a short, hard right hand on the jaw as he takes down Dempsey. When they hit the ground, Dempsey is out cold, and Latifi gets up to celebrate his knockout.

The Official Result

Ilir Latifi def. Chris Dempsey via KO (Punches) R1 2:07

Naoyuki Kotani vs. Norman Parke

Round 1

Marc Goddard is the referee for this lightweight bout. Kotani immediately begins circling counterclockwise around the perimeter while his fellow southpaw gives chase. When Kotani comes inside for a shot, Parke stands him up against the fence for a few seconds before separating. Kotani tries to come in for a single-leg behind a left hand, can’t get it. The next attempt from Kotani finds him shoved against the cage again, Parke sending uppercuts up the center and then breaking off with a level elbow. Kotani pushes Parke back with a straight left, clinches up and brings the fight back to the fence. Parke quickly reverses and ends the tie-up, then misses with a flying knee. Parke lands a hard kick to the body, caught by Kotani who fails to parlay it into a takedown. Kotani lands a good short elbow as he steps in to clinch again, only to be knocked away by a knee from Parke. Fifty seconds left in the opening round, and now Parke sprawls on a double-leg from Kotani to climb on the Japanese veteran’s back. Parke spends the last few seconds in back mount, dropping heavy elbows on Kotani’s face.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Parke
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Parke
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Parke

Round 2

Parke lands an accidental low blow, but Kotani says he’s alright and the lightweights fight on. One minute into the round, Parke gets hold of Kotani near the fence and slams him to the mat. The Irishman quickly passes to side control and roughs up Kotani with more elbows, while the Japanese fighter struggles to control Parke’s posture from underneath. Parke escapes to his feet as Kotani grabs for a heel hook, and now the 155ers tie up on the fence again with Parke on the outside. Kotani goes to the ground willingly, not pulling guard but merely slumping to his knees at the base of the fence. Parke unloads with elbows, then switches to left-handed ground-and-pound. Kotani appears to be blocking some of the shots with his right hand, but he doesn’t respond as referee Goddard calls for action, and this one is all over.

The Official Result

Norman Parke def. Naoyuki Kotani via TKO (Punches and Elbows) R2 3:41

Ian McCall vs. Brad Pickett

Round 1

Neil Hall is the referee for this flyweight bout. Pickett sets up in the center, and the southpaw McCall fakes some level changes in between cutting angles near the fence. One minute in, McCall grabs a front headlock and lands a knee before being pushed against the fence. Pickett throws a knee that lands to McCall’s groin, but “Uncle Creepy” is quick to recover. As McCall steps inside, Pickett decks him with a left hand, but it’s McCall bringing “One Punch” down to his knees near the fence. Pickett pops back up and again muscles McCall against the cage. McCall lands a couple punches in close quarters before slipping out the side and resetting. McCall targets the inside of Pickett’s lead leg with a couple kicks and then circles away. He pops Pickett with a lunging left hook, cuts away and repeats the sequence before Pickett is able to grab hold and clinch on the fence. McCall reverses the position, hits Pickett with another left and escapes. An uppercut from McCall rocks Pickett’s head. Pickett begins to find his range on McCall in the last 30 seconds of the round, catching up with the American near the fence and connecting with a couple nice uppercuts.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 McCall
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Pickett
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 McCall

Round 2

Pickett lunges at McCall with a wild, wide right hand which McCall evades. McCall scores a snappy takedown, but Pickett is back on his feet just as quick. Fifty seconds in, McCall trips Pickett back to the mat near the center of the cage, and this time McCall steps straight into full mount. Pickett tries to buck and roll but McCall stays heavy on top, though Pickett is able to regain half guard. Pickett turns the half guard into an escape, and now he’s back on his feet, chasing McCall around the cage. McCall dips into range with a straight left hand, lands the shot and circles out. Pickett stuffs a pair of takedown attempts but eats a right hook from McCall in the process. McCall catches Pickett leaning in and drills the Englishman’s body with a kick. An inside thigh kick from McCall strays high, and Pickett needs a few seconds to recover from the groin shot. The flyweights get back to business with about 90 seconds left in the round, and Pickett goes straight after a takedown. McCall sprawls against the fence and stands up Pickett, who cracks the American with a hook on the break. Pickett is swinging wildly now, trying to knock off McCall’s block whenever he steps into the pocket. Pickett grabs a single-leg with 30 seconds on the clock; McCall limp-legs away. The round ends with Pickett shooting a double against the fence and McCall den denying the takedown.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 McCall
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 McCall
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 McCall

Round 3

McCall catches Pickett leaning in again, and this time the kick from “Uncle Creepy” clips Pickett on the chin. Pickett keeps marching forward, so McCall gives him a couple kicks to the body and continues working his angles near the fence. There are lots of clashing punches when the flyweights get in the pocket, neither man landing very clean strikes at the moment. Pickett brings the fight to the fence, drops levels and digs for a double-leg, denied by McCall. The American hits Pickett with a knee to the gut as they continue to pummel for position on the fence, and now McCall frees himself with 2:45 on the clock. Pickett comes down the center with a straight right, takes a low kick and trips McCall to the ground. McCall springs back to his feet, eats a jab and thumps Pickett’s body with a kick. A double-leg from McCall floors Pickett with 1:45 left in the fight. McCall moves effortlessly from guard to side control, then over to full mount, but Pickett quickly forces him back to half guard. Short punches pepper Pickett’s body as McCall leans left to right across the Englishman’s body. Now a couple left hands land upstairs and Pickett struggles back to his feet to finish the fight standing.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 McCall (30-27 McCall)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 McCall (29-28 McCall)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 McCall (30-27 McCall)

The Official Result

Ian McCall def. Brad Pickett via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) R3 5:00

Gunnar Nelson vs. Zak Cummings

Round 1

Marc Goddard is the referee for tonight’s welterweight co-main event. Nelson comes out in a wide karate stance against the southpaw Cummings, who paws with jabs early, looking to step inside. Nelson initiates a clinch, but it’s Cummings hooking a leg and pushing the Icelander against the fence. Nelson breaks free and hits Cummings with a hard knee and a short left. Nelson is looking to set up a straight right hand but Cummings isn’t leaving him many openings, striking back with counter lefts whenever “Gunni” starts to throw. Nelson lands a pair of right hands and gets shoved to the ground by Cummings, who attaches himself to Nelson’s back as they stand up. Nelson turns around and fights off the fence in the clinch before breaking away. There are 90 seconds left in a round that’s still up for grabs. Cummings tries to get busy with probing punches but Nelson is on his back foot, evading the American’s strikes. They tie up with 30 seconds on the clock, and Cummings pushes Nelson against the fence to score with a quick flurry of punches.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cummings
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Cummings
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-10

Round 2

Cummings closes the gap and muscles Nelson against the fence, but Nelson soon reverses and pops the wrestler with a knee in the clinch. They fight off the fence and resume striking in the center of the cage. Nelson counters a leg kick from Cummings with a hard, straight right hand down the center, then backs up and continues bouncing on his toes just outside of Cummings’ range. Another piston-like right hand snaps back Cummings’ head, but he takes one back with a short left hook and a leg kick. Nelson is pressing the action now, keeping Cummings near the fence but not really letting his hands go. Cummings grabs hold of a low kick and forces Nelson to hop around on one leg, defending the takedown. Nelson snares Cummings in a guillotine, then turns the corner to take the back as they go to the ground. In a flash, Nelson has full back mount secured with a body triangle. A few seconds later, his left arm is snaked underneath Cummings’ chin, forcing the American to submit to the rear-naked choke.

The Official Result

Gunnar Nelson def. Zak Cummings via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) R2 4:48

Conor McGregor vs. Diego Brandao

Round 1

Leon Roberts is the referee for tonight’s featherweight main event, with judges Ben Cartlidge, Mark Collett and Howard Hughes scoring at cageside. McGregor fakes a glove touch and taps Brandao with a spinning kick to the midsection. Brandao goes straight after the Irishman with heavy overhand punches, steps in behind them and wraps up McGregor and shoves him against the fence. McGregor reverses the position but Brandao keeps control with over-unders. Brandao tries to trip McGregor to the ground, but “Notorious” reverses on the way down and then stands over the prone Brandao. When McGregor tries to come back down to the ground, Brandao threatens with a leg lock and then pops McGregor with an upkick. McGregor stacks up the Brazilian at the base of the fence, and now Brandao hunts for a heel hook or armbar by throwing his legs up. With two minutes left in the opening round, Brandao scrambles back to his feet, eating a left hand from southpaw McGregor on the way. Brandao is walking into the pocket, throwing hands and elbows but coming up short against the taller man. McGregor keeps the pressure on and cracks Brandao with a lead uppercut. Brandao looks wounded as he tries to stay standing with his back to the fence, but a blistering straight left from McGregor knocks him to the ground. A few more punches from McGregor to the fetal Brazilian send referee Roberts into action.

The Official Result

Conor McGregor def. Diego Brandao via TKO (Punches) R1 4:05