Brad Pickett and Mike Easton each pocketed an extra $60,000 for their three-round bantamweight thriller at UFC on Fuel TV 9.
On the evening’s main card, Pickett outlasted Easton in a back-and-forth affair which saw several momentum changes. Ultimately, it was the diverse attack of the hard-hitting Englishman which earned him two 30-27 scorecards, while one judge sided with Easton by a score of 29-28.
One of Sweden’s most popular fighters, “Mad Dog” Madadi stormed back from a scary first round which saw him floored by a tricky head kick from opponent Michael Johnson. Madadi came back to win the second round with his wrestling before forcing Johnson to tap to a brabo choke at 1:33 of the third frame.
In an impressive UFC debut, McGregor took just 67 seconds to wipe out Marcus Brimage. A series of uppercuts on the feet preceded a vicious ground-and-pound assault from the 24-year-old, who racked up his 12th knockout in 13 wins.
UFC on Fuel TV 9 was headlined by a 205-pound affair which saw former Strikeforce champ Gegard Mousasi win a lopsided decision against late replacement Ilir Latifi. The event drew 14,506 spectators to Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe Arena for a live gate of $2,710,530, according to the UFC.