For North American fans the UFC on FUEL TV fight card was an early start, but they were treated to some fantastic fights.
There were seven fights on the Facebook preliminary portion of the card. Three of the seven went to the judges scorecards, while the other four were fantastic finishes.
Papy Abedi def. Besam Yousef by split decision
Papy Abedi: “My training for the fight went very well and that was important for the result. The plan was to finish in the first round as that’s what I’d focused on in training, but I’m really pleased to win over three rounds.”
Besam Yousef: “It was a close fight, I did more damage but he won because of the takedowns. It was a good fight, I hope the fans enjoyed it. I could have let my hands go loose a little more, I rocked him once, but I need to do more of that in the future.”
Tom Lawlor def. Michael Kuiper by submission (arm in guillotine) at 1:05 of round 2
Tom Lawlor: “I feel good despite being beaten up for a round or so but I was able to pull it out and get a win. The fight didn’t go as I expected, I thought I’d be doing the beating. Midway through the first round I knew there was something wrong with my knee but didn’t know how bad it was until I stood up and tried to throw a punch, so I was really pleased to get the win.”
Michael Kuiper: “I was expecting maybe to knock him out. I felt good in the fight, I knew he was a good wrestler so I trained for that, it was only that the choke was so deep.”
Ryan LaFlare def. Ben Alloway by unanimous decision
Ryan LaFlare: “I felt better than I actually did. I had a tough week away from the Ocatgon, I was ready for the fight though. I overcame everything and got the W. I have a baby boy coming in June so I did it for him and I’m learning from the experience.
Benny Alloway: “He outwrestled me. Once you step through the door you say you’re ready to fight but two weeks ago I didn’t know if I’d make the fight with my ankle injury. It’s always a positive to go three full rounds, I’m still a relatively young fighter in the sport and I am learning from every experience.”
Conor McGregor def. Marcus Brimage by TKO (punches) at 1:07 of round 1
Conor McGregor: “Coming into UFC didn’t feel any different, a contest is a contest. I didn’t feel nervous, it’s all just competition. I had a problem with my wisdom teeth in the week, but nothing would have stopped me going into the Octogan, I would have fought. The Irish fans here were great, it’s all happening back home. I want to show the Irish public what real combat is and I can really feel the buzz from back home.”
Marcus Brimage: “I was expecting the victory. I trained hard before and I will go away, look at the tape and learn from it. It’s important to take positives from a defeat and I’ll be back in the gym working hard.”
Adlan Amagov def. Chris Spang by unanimous decision
Adlan Amagov: “First of all I am every happy I won. I was a little nervous as it was my debut in UFC and I was more cautious than usual, I wanted to prove myself. I represent the people of Chechnya and I wanted to make them proud.”
Chris Spang: “I am really disappointed to lose in my hometown. I wanted to go in and leave everything in the Octagon and that didn’t happen.”
Tor Troeng def. Adam Cella by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:11 of round 1
Tor Troeng: “I’ve had a really good week, training went well. I knew he’d come at me so I’d decided to see what I was getting and when I had the chance for the takedown, I took it. I knew he’d come at me hard and the timing was really important. The crowd were brilliant, the best crowd ever, you really can’t describe the atmosphere.”
Adam Cella: “My week was good, it was easy to cut weight. I tried to keep it standing, I landed some good shots and that’s when he decided to take it down. I thought we’d stand up a little bit more. I am definitely going to go down a weight class. If I go down to 170lb , I’ll be a big 170lb and work on my whole game. I’ll be back.”
Reza Madadi def. Michael Johnson by submission (D’arce choke) at 1:33 of round 3
