Photos by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

The lineup for UFC Fight Night 76, which marked the UFC’s third trip to Dublin, Ireland, took one hell of a beating over the last few weeks. First, it lost its co-main event when an injury forced Stipe Miocic to withdraw from a bout with Ben Rothwell. Then, just days out from the event, a concussion pushed Ireland’s own Joe Duffy out of his headlining bout with Dustin Poirier.

What we were left with then, after all the chaos, was just the second UFC card ever headlined by a non-title flyweight fight, as Paddy Holohan and Louis Smolka stepped up to fill the vacant main event spot. And when all was said and done, lineup changes be damned, the card delivered as a fun one; packed with all the stoppages, back-and-forth brawls, upsets and surprises we crave.

Here’s a recap of the action for those who missed it!

The Main Card:

Smolka Taps Holohan in Back-and-Forth Fight

The evening’s unlikely main event paired Irish flyweight Paddy Holohan with Hawaii’s Louis Smolka in what was undoubtedly the biggest fight of both their careers. And as most fight fans expected, the two flyweights put on a show.

The fight unfolded almost entirely in the grappling department, as Holohan shot repeatedly for takedowns, enjoying a 50% success rate in that area. Once on the canvas, the two inventive grapplers swapped all manner of submission attempts, from leg locks to omoplatas. And though Holohan appeared to be ahead on the scorecards as long as the fight lasted, he eventually found his neck wrapped tightly in a Smolka rear-naked choke and was forced to tap.

In victory, Smolka moves to a strong 10-1 overall, and sits at 3-1 in the UFC, where he is now likely to enter the divisional top-15. At just 24 years old, the Hawaiian has established himself as one of the most versatile and capable flyweights on the roster.

After this heartbreaking loss, Holohan slides to 12-2 overall and 2-2 in the Octagon. And while it’s hard to say what lies ahead for him, he made his immediate plans clear in his post-fight interview with Dan Hardy:

“I’m going to have a cup of tea.”

Parke Storms Past Madadi

The co-main event of the evening paired Northern Ireland’s Norman Parke with Reza “Mad Dog” Madadi who, thanks to a burglary-related prison sentence, was taking his first steps onto the canvas since April 2013.

Unfortunately for Madadi, the comeback fight didn’t go quite as planned. For the majority of the three-round affair, he was out-struck and out-wrestled by his Irish opponent, who entered the bout with an 88% takedown success rate—the third best ever at lightweight. By the time the judges’ scorecards were reached, Parke had done more than enough to secure the W.

In victory, he separates himself from a pair of debatable split decision losses to Gleison Tibau and Francisco Trinaldo. He’s now an awesome 21-4-1 overall, and 5-2-1 in the UFC. Madadi, meanwhile, returns to the loss column after an impressive defeat of Michael Johnson in his last bout. He’s now 13-4 overall, and 2-2 in the Octagon.

Dalby and Till Battle to Majority Draw

The second bout of the main card featured two rangy European welterweights with very bright futures. In one corner, we had Denmark’s Nicolas Dalby. In the other, was 22-year-old Brit, Darren Till. Both looked to keep their perfect records intact.

As it turns out, however, both men would leave the 3Arena undefeated, as their rousing contest was ruled a majority draw.

The first half of the fight belonged decidedly to the young Brit, who controlled distance well and even managed to drop his Danish opponent in the closing moments of round one. In the second round, however, after sustaining an injury to his shoulder, Till gave up the momentum, and played the punching bag for the latter half of the bout.

With the draw, Till now sits at 13-0-1, and 1-0-1 in the UFC. Dalby, meanwhile, sits at 14-0-1, with the same UFC record as his opponent.

Seery Taps Delos Reyes in Awesome Scrap

Dublin’s main card was kicked off by Guam’s Jon Delos Reyes and Ireland’s Neil Seery, who met in an excellent bit of matchmaking. And just as many expected, it was an awesome scrap.

For the majority of the first two rounds, the two flyweights traded heavy artillery on the feet and submission attempts on the canvas. Late in round 2, Seery capitalized on a sloppy Delos Reyes takedown attempt to lock up a second-round, arm-in guillotine choke for the win, putting himself in line not just for Fight of the Night honors, but Performance of the Night honors as well.

The Irish veteran now sits at 16-11 overall—a record that is hardly indicative of his talent. He’s 3-2 across his five UFC appearances. Delos Reyes, meanwhile, returns to the loss column after an awesome defeat of Roldan Sangcha-an in May. He’s now 8-5 overall, and 1-3 inside the Octagon. If he’s given another chance in the UFC, he’ll have to make it count.

The Prelims:

Ray Out-Fights Lebout to Unanimous Decision

The final bout of Dublin’s undercard paired two top European lightweights in Scotland’s Stevie Ray and France’s Mickael Lebout. And though Lebout landed some good shots throughout the bout, he simply couldn’t deal with the striking skill and massive physical strength of his Scottish opponent. The Frenchman was out-boxed, and outmuscled in the clinch until the final bell sounded.

The unanimous decision victory propels Ray to 19-5 overall, and a perfect 3-0 since joining the UFC in April of this year. Lebout, meanwhile moves to 14-5 in sum and 1-2 in the UFC. He will have to make his next outing count.

Daly Scores Epic Hometown Win Over Almeida

Heralded as one of the true pioneers of Irish MMA, SBG’s Aisling Daly walked into the packed 3Arena in search of a massive, hometown win over Brazil’s Ericka Almeida. And after a chilling walk-out to The Cranberries’ Zombie—the same song used by the Korean Zombie—that’s just what she got.

With a diet of takedowns and carefully executed ground and pound, the strawweight pioneer outfought her Brazilian opponent en route to a sound unanimous decision win. Now 16-6 overall, and 2-1 in the UFC, Daly remains a staple of the strawweight top-15.

Almeida, on the other hand, stumbles to 7-2 overall and remains winless over two UFC appearances. Still, at just 26, she’s got plenty of time to bounce back.

Jotko Edges Askham in Fun Fight

The second middleweight bout of Dublin’s prelims paired England’s Scott Askham with Poland’s Krzysztof Jotko. In advance of the bout, both men had tasted defeat just once and looked to keep it that way. Of course, barring a rare draw, somebody had to leave the Octagon with a second loss, and in Dublin, that man was Askham.

After three wild rounds of action, the ever-improving Jotko had simply done more, and was rewarded with a split decision for his efforts. The win moves the Pole to an awesome 17-1 overall, and 3-1 as a UFC fighter. The towering Askham, on the other hand, is now 13-2 overall, and 1-2 inside the Octagon.

Breese Dominates Pendred for First Round TKO

Tom Breese and Cathal Pendred could have just as easily met under the Cage Warriors banner several year ago, but instead, they mixed it up on the undercard of a major UFC event. And when these two European welterweights finally got their chance to swap leather, it was all Breese.

With some slick boxing and a perfectly-placed body kick that showcased his rapidly-evolving toolset, the TriStar fighter quickly overwhelmed his Irish rival for a beautiful first-round TKO. Now 9-0 overall, the 24-year-old is 2-0 in the UFC, and appears destined for a ranked opponent in the near future.

The notoriously durable Pendred, meanwhile, experiences just the second knockout loss of his career, and enters his first two-fight losing streak in the process. The Conor McGregor training partner is now 4-2 in the UFC, and 17-4 in total.

Elkins Grinds Whiteford to Decision Win

The second bout of the night paired Scottish featherweight Robert Whiteford with the division’s 14th-ranked fighter, Darren Elkins. It was the biggest test of the Scot’s career.

Despite a few shining moments, including a beautiful second-round judo throw, the Scot did not pass his big test. Relying on his patented brand of pressure fighting, Elkins wore his opponent down to well-deserved unanimous decision win.

The win moves Elkins, who has been training with the studs at Team Alpha Male, to a solid 19-5 overall, and will keep him locked into the featherweight top-15. Whiteford, on the other hand, has a two-fight streak snapped by the loss. He’s now 12-3 overall, and 2-2 in the UFC.

McLellan Hammers Bush for Late TKO

The Irish action began in the middleweight division as Bubba Bush returned to the octagon for the first time in well over a year against South Africa’s Garreth McLellan. The American’s comeback did not go as planned.

Though he enjoyed a strong first round, he was swarmed all over as the fight wore on, and was eventually stopped on strikes with just two seconds left in the bout. The TKO victory marks McLellan’s first in the UFC, and moves him to 13-3 overall. Bush, on the other hand, falls to 8-3.