DUBLIN – There was an incredible amount of pressure on Conor McGregor to live up to a long train of hype leading into his first UFC main event.
The Dublin native did not disappoint in front of his home fans. McGregor (15-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) took out Diego Brandao (18-10 MMA, 4-3 UFC) in the first round with a TKO, setting The O2 and his home crowd into an utter uproar.
The featherweight bout headlined today’s UFC Fight Night 46 main card at The O2 in Dublin. The entire event streamed on UFC Fight Pass.
The two couldn’t wait to get at each other, and McGregor threw a spinning kick right away. Then he got tagged by a few Brandao punches before firing back. Brandao pushed him to the cage 30 seconds in as the crowd filled the arena with a massive “Ole!” soccer-style chant.
But after that settled down, it was on McGregor to work his way out of Brandao tying him up. When Brandao tried to roll, McGregor went with him and landed on top and looked to work ground-and-pound. He stood up before diving back in, then had to stave off a heel hook attempt from the Brazilian.
But he went right back down and pinned Brandao on the fence and looked for punches. Then elbows found a home on Brandao’s head. Brandao scrambled back to his feet, but McGregor tagged him. Then he kicked up high, then landed a spinning back kick that put Brandao on a knee. Seconds later, it was Brandao returning fire in the center of the octagon.
With a minute left, though, McGregor backed Brandao to the cage and started teeing off on him after a big left hand. He dropped him and then wouldn’t let up until referee Leon Roberts was in to shut it down.
The crowd went into an uproar. Irish tricolor flags were waved in the air as Brandao tried to lick the wounds. McGregor came to him to shake his hand after the fight, with Brandao looking like he was still a bit unsure of what just transpired.
“I had a feeling if I had a chance to drop him, I’d try to pass his guard and advance position,” McGregor said. “I said I was going to put him away in the first round, and I put him away in the first round. There’s not a man alive who can come on this soil and beat me.”
Then McGregor said he was going to talk to the UFC about putting him in a bigger venue next time around.
“I’m going to go backstage with Mr. Lorenzo Fertitta, have a little whiskey, and talk about being in a stadium,” McGregor said.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 46 results include:
- Conor McGregor def. Diego Brandao via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:05
- Gunnar Nelson def. Zak Cummings via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:48
- Ian McCall def. Brad Pickett via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Norman Parke def. Naoyuki Kotani via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:41
- Ilir Latifi def. Chris Dempsey via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:07
- Neil Seery def. Phil Harris via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Cathal Pendred def. Mike King via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:33
- Trevor Smith def. Tor Troeng via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Nikita Krylov def. Cody Donovan via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:57
- Patrick Holohan def. Josh Sampo via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:06
For more on UFC Fight Night 46, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.
