A perfect night in Boston for SBG Ireland
SBG Ireland Win Three Out Of Three at UFC Fight Night
Sunday night saw SBG Ireland fighters Conor McGregor, Cathal Pendred and Paddy Holohan compete at UFC Fight Night Boston, in front of a TD Garden crowd awash with the tricolor of the Irish flag. By the end of the night, all three men would walk out of the Octagon victorious. Pendred and Holohan both securing unanimous decision victories, while headliner Conor McGregor emphatically dispatched UFC veteran Dennis Siver, in perhaps his most comfortable win to date.
McGregor Secures Featherweight Title Shot
McGregor’s win maintains his meteoric rise up the ranks of the UFC (now #4 in the featherweight division) and secures him a shot at the featherweight title against Jose Aldo in May. While McGregor did not finish off his opponent within the first two minutes, as promised, the second round stoppage victory seemed all but inevitable from the moment McGregor landed his first straight left – methodically picking apart Siver at will for one and a half rounds, before mounting his felled opponent, and securing a TKO. Conor McGregor’s performance was the pinnacle of an event that would later be announced as FOX Sports’ most watched UFC event of all time.
None would have been watching more closely than featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, however. Sat at ringside, after the fight McGregor leapt over the cage and jumped into the crowd to face-off with the champ, much to the delight of the fans. With excitement already building towards it prior to Sunday night, there can be little doubt that SBG Ireland’s McGregor will be part of the biggest fight in the history of UFC’s featherweight division, come May.
Cathal Pendred Still Undefeated in the Octagon
SBG Ireland’s Cathal Pendred showed his now trademark heart and character to grind out a win against Sean Spencer, in a unanimous decision that surprised many, including Joe Rogan and UFC President, Dana White. Pendred was knocked to the mat with three heavy punches in the first round, but clung on to secure victory in the eyes of all three judges. Appeals from fans and commentators after the fight stated that Spencer was robbed, but a look at the fight statistics might help explain the result. Despite Spencer’s impressive first round knock down, he landed only marginally more significant strikes (52 vs 49). Meanwhile, Pendred was deemed to be in control for a longer period of the fight (02:23 vs 02:06), secured four take downs to Spencer’s zero, and connected with a higher percentage of total and significant strikes for good measure. The win leaves him still unbeaten after three appearances in the Octagon.
Paddy Holohan’s Dominant Win
Paddy Holohan secured a unanimous decision victory of his own in far more dominant fashion against Shane Howell, allowing him to move on from his decision loss last time out, and move his UFC record to 2-1. Holohan controlled the fight for all three rounds – finishing each on top of his opponent; on the ground and closing in on a trademark submission win. Holohan, who won his UFC debut by rear-naked choke, looked to repeat the feat on multiple occasions again, only for Howell to be saved by the bell. The SBG Ireland fighter also dominated while standing, landing more significant strikes, with more accuracy than his opponent, before securing take downs almost at will in all rounds. After the fight was done and dusted, Paddy Holohan hugged his defeated opponent and wrapped his Irish flag around him in a show of sportsmanship – showing a high level of class both during, and after the contest.
Congratulations to Conor, Cathal, Paddy and the whole SBG Ireland team for their success in Boston. It is a truly exciting time to be part of the SBG family!
