The UFC’s debut on Scottish soil was more than a little reminiscent of UFC Dublin.
The clean sweep for the home fighters, the intensity of the crowd and the series of quick finishes that got the card underway made for a fantastic night in the Scottish capital.
Here are the warriors who have earned our appreciation this week.
Knockout of the night – Ilir Latifi
The UFC don’t pay overtime and Ilir Latifi is only too aware of that fact as his last three victories have come in three minutes or less.
The Swedish light heavyweight has got concrete blocks for hands and Hans Stringer simply didn’t have the chin to deal with the counter right of the aptly named Sledgehammer.Â
Submission of the night – Joseph Duffy
We saw the incredible striking of Irish Joe on display in his octagon debut but it was his stellar submission game that earned him his second consecutive UFC victory when he used a whizzer to defend a takedown from Ivan Jorge before landing in a position to throw up a triangle.
Donegal’s Duffy looked every bit the black belt in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu as he patiently worked for the tap.
Performance of the night – Joanne Calderwood
It was a toss-up between Paddy Holohan and JoJo for this honour but we’ve decided to give it to the Scot because of the toughness she showed in coming through early trouble.
Calderwood was rocked badly by Cortney Casey in the opening seconds but gutted out and was able to exhibit her typically nasty Muay Thai for the remaining two and a half rounds and would have gotten the finish with this spinning back kick if not for the determination of her opponent.
One to watch – Jimmie Rivera
Hard to say whether we saw a breakthrough performance from Jimmie Rivera or whether Marcus Brimage’s chin is a thing of the past but, being optimists, we’re going to say that El Terror was just too good.
Rivera needed just 90 seconds to record his 16th consecutive victory when a straight right had Brimage doing the chicken dance before the fight was waved off.
