UFC Fight Night 59 took place Sunday night at TD Garden in Boston. The main card was headlined by Ireland’s Conor McGregor in a fight that did not disappoint the many Boston natives in attendance. The night was slightly marred by a few questionable decisions by the judges, however there were a few intriguing prospects on the card and McGregor lived up to the hype he’s been generating in the litany of media coverage the UFC has given him.

The televised prelims were kicked off by Charles Rosa vs. Sean Soriano in what turned out to be a very evenly matched fight. Soriano got the better of some of the striking exchanges early on, but the constant pressure and superior ground game of Rosa turned out to be the deciding factor of the fight. Rosa caught Soriano in a D’arce choke late in the final round and was able to secure the finish. The first controversy of the night took place here as Soriano argued that he never tapped. However, the replay did show that he tapped, only once rather than a series of taps but a tap nonetheless. The win was Rosa’s first ever in the UFC and he looks like an interesting prospect to follow going forward. Soriano fell to 0-3 in the UFC and may be finding his future with the company in jeopardy. I’d like to see Soriano get another shot though. He put on an entertaining fight (my pick for FOTN) that was competitive throughout.

Another prospect who shined on the card that I’d like to highlight is Paddy Holohan. Holohan has had a very solid run in the UFC so far. He’s 2-1 with solid performances in all three fights (his only loss being a FOTN winner). He won Sunday night in about as dominant a fashion as possible without getting a finish. He controlled Howell throughout the entire fight, nearly sinking in a rear naked choke on several occasions. It remains to be seen how Holohan will fare against higher level competition, but he could be getting the opportunity to fight some ranked opponents soon. The fact that he fights in the very shallow flyweight division can only speed up his ascension of the rankings.

There were 2 spectacular 1st round finishes on the night, a TKO by Lorenz Larkin and a 1st round doctor’s stoppage to the credit of Uriah Hall. Larkin made his debut in the 170 pound weight class and he looked like a completely different animal. Larkin seemed to have gained a significant speed advantage with the drop in weight that helped lead to his knockout of John Howard. Larkin showcased some very crisp striking and he may be a dark horse in the race for the welterweight belt (he holds a victory over current champion Robbie Lawler in Strikeforce). Uriah Hall showed just how explosive of a striker he is once again. Hall has the rare ability to change a fight in the blink of an eye and when he’s on like he has been of late, then he is very dangerous. Hall dropped Ron Stallings with a straight right hand and followed up with some solid ground and pound opening up two huge cuts, 1 above and 1 below Stallings’ left eyebrow. Herb Dean called for the doctor to check the cut and he rightfully called the fight. Seeing a fighter lose due to a doctor’s stoppage when he feels that he can continue is always tough, but the cut was one of the worst I’ve seen and the stoppage was completely justified.

Finishing fights seemed the only reliable way to secure a win in Boston that night as there were 2 very questionable decisions made by the judges. Cathal Pendred was awarded a unanimous decision victory in a fight he clearly lost in the eyes of most viewers. Pendred showcased some of the least technical striking I’ve ever witnessed in the UFC, winding up and throwing looping punches that rarely connected. I’m honestly astonished that someone that has a striker the level of McGregor in the gym with him every day could have such abysmal striking. Spencer won the striking game against Cathal easily and Pendred wasn’t able to get very much going on the ground at all. The hometown favoring of the Irish fighter has to come into question with that decision. The 2nd questionable decision occurred in the co-main event, Henderson vs. Cerrone. This was a much closer fight, so the word robbery can’t be used with this one, however I can see why Henderson would be upset with the decision. Henderson mixed up his strikes, working his level changes even better than he has in the past. Cerrone seemed timid and thrown off by how well Henderson was mixing up his attack the whole fight. Cerrone seemed particularly troubled by the front leg side kick Henderson was throwing to his thigh. Henderson even seemed to have Cerrone rocked by a high kick in the 3rd round. Cerrone did have 2 takedowns in the fight, but he didn’t manage to do any damage with them or advance his position. However, he did hold the center of the octagon for most of the fight and in a close fight the round may go to the fighter who appears to be pressuring more. Henderson may only have himself to blame in this loss. If Henderson had been less content to counter-punch the whole fight and had pressured Cerrone after the head kick that rocked him, then he could have secured the finish. Pressing the action there would’ve likely won him that round at least. This was a fight where you really wish there had been 2 more rounds.

The main event lived up to all of the hype the UFC had put behind it. The UFC’s heavy marketing of McGregor that could have easily backfired now appears to be a stroke of genius. UFC Fight Night 59 was reportedly the highest rated UFC event in Fox Sports 1 history and will likely lead to a lot of interest in the upcoming Aldo vs. McGregor pay-per-view. McGregor earned his title shot in dominant fashion. Siver was unable to deal with Conor’s ability to fight at his own range. McGregor picked Siver apart from afar with several high kicks and straight right hands that were very effective. Siver managed to take McGregor down twice, but McGregor showed the ability to pop right back up on both occasions. McGregor backed a visibly beaten down Siver against the cage at the end of the 1st round and worked some impressive Diaz-esque strikes to the body against the cage. Siver eventually buckled from a body shot from McGregor in round 2, McGregor slickly passed Siver’s guard to gain the full mount and finished the fight with some solid elbows.

Following the victory, McGregor immediately climbed over the fence to go and confront Jose Aldo in the stands. The hype behind that fight couldn’t be any greater. McGregor vs. Aldo will be one of the biggest fights of 2015 (it may give Jones vs. Cormier a run for it’s money). UFC Fight Night 59 had ups and downs, but it set up one of the most exciting matchups of 2015 and probably brought in the UFC a number of new fans with all of the heavy marketing during the NFL playoffs. The event has to be considered a success for the UFC, the city of Boston, and the fans.