All the results and highlights from the UFC Glasgow preliminary card at the SSE Arena.

 

Danny Roberts def. Bobby Nash by KO at 3:59 of round 2

Roberts had a rough round one, as Nash timed takedowns well to counter punches and put the Brit down. Round two was a different story, however, as ‘Hot Chocolate’ got wise, kept his hips low and stayed on his feet. He ended things with a massive overhand left and hammerfists.

 

Roberts said post-fight: “I learned a lot from my previous performances. I came out, tried to stick to my guns and stay relaxed. I can be quite a fast starter so I just wanted to let him play into my hands, not rush, stay nice and relaxed and sooner or later I knew something was going to come. And then the finish came. To get a finish like that here in the UK is amazing. To have cheers like that but, again, to not rise up to the moment, it was just perfect for me. I don’t want any of my previous performances to be anything that can devalue or degrade me as an athlete because what I will always do is rise above adversity and I’ve proven it time and time and time again. I want to take every opportunity to move forwards from here on out and just keep moving up the ladder, making sure that I do everything I can to execute what I do and show pure dominance because I know that I’m here to go to the top.”

 

Alexandre Pantoja def. Neil Seery by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:31 of round 3

Tthe first two rounds made for an entertaining scrap on the feet, but Pantoja was clearly ahead thanks to a far greater variety of strikes. Seery landed a few punches, but was often left swinging at air. The third was all Pantoja, as the Brazilian took the fight to the mat, passed guard and then took the back. The Irishman was forced to tap when his opponent sunk in a deep rear naked choke.

Both fighters spoke to the press backstage after the fight.

Alexandre Pantoja: “I’m feeling drunk right now, I think it’s the adrenaline. I feel really good because this was a very hard fight for me. My opponent is a legend because he’s fought some very hard opponents. He’s a veteran. Every fight he is in is a war. I love that style. I go to the Octagon for a fight, you know; not just to win, not just to score points. And Neil gave me that kind of fight tonight. I think I’m ready for a top 5 or top 10 opponent now. This was a very good step forward for me.”

Neil Seery: “Do you know what, when I look back to where it all began, I’m glad I started when I did, and I’m glad it started that way. Back then, when I started, no-one ever gave me a chance. Nobody ever gave me a chance. So to think that I was able to move forward to this level…my coaches always believed in me and they made me believe in myself. When nobody gave me a chance, they did. It has just been a fantastic journey. I’m glad it’s ended now, though. The athletes who are in this sport now are just unbelievable so it’s the right time. I’ll live to fight another day, just not inside the Octagon. I’d like to thank every single one of the fans from the bottom of my heart. They’ve been brilliant. They’ve been there every step of the way and I can’t thank them enough for that.”

 

Galore Bofando def. Charlie Ward by KO at 2:10 of round 1

A short one, in which Bofando looked flashy without actually doing much, until he tripped the Irishman, who headbutted the mat on landing and got knocked out. A few more punches and that was a wrap.

Bofando talks the finish and future plans, post-fight. “At the start, I just tried to size him up a bit, test the distance and test how strong he was. When we got into the clinch I realised his legs were a bit weak so I was able to turn him over and I dumped him on his head. He was strong but it was pretty much what I was expecting from him, to be honest. Now we have to sit down as a team and discuss what’s next. There was talk of Artem Lobov before at 155lbs, which could be an interesting fight. I think I beat him.”

 

Danny Henry def. Daniel Teymur by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 29-26)

Very entertaining, back-and-forth fight with Teymur winning the first with crisp boxing, leg kicks and control from top position. Henry started to turn the tables late in the first with a big knee, then turned the bout into a slugfest in the final two rounds. He was just too strong and active for the Swede, who was rocked in some big exchanges and dominated on the ground. The Scot almost got the finish with a choke late in the third, but the Swede was able to hold on until the bell.

Teymur with Early success

Wow!! Daniel Teymur hits HARD!! #UFCGlasgow pic.twitter.com/fYO7ltHrjG

 

Henry fires back in the first

 

The later rounds descend into chaos.

Post-fight, Henry gave his thoughts to the media on a successful UFC debut and Fight of the Night contender: “I’m quite a slow starter so I sometimes takes a couple of shots to wake up. I came back though and I felt I was the stronger fighter in the second and third, and I deserved the win. I knew he was tough, I knew he would load up too much on his punches and I knew he would get tired. He’s never been out of the first round. The way he fights, it uses a lot of energy so I knew if I got out of the first, that he would slow down and it would play into my hands a little bit. The coach gave me a good plan as usual and it all worked out. It was fairytale stuff out there. A couple of years ago this was just a joking dream, I just did MMA for fun. Slowly but surely I’ve chipped away and got to this level and it’s massive. What a feeling, fairytale stuff.”

 

Brett Johns def. Albert Morales by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 30-25)

A solid performance by the Welshman, who opened the American up with strikes on the mat. Almost total control for 15 minutes by Johns. He’s now 14-0 (2-0 UFC).

 

Johns’ first-round takedown sets the tone for the remaining 14 minutes

 

Two exhausted bantamweights after three rounds

 

Despite a dominant win, Johns wasn’t 100% happy with his performance. He said: “If I’m honest, in the second and third I didn’t feel the best. I know that I’m one of the best in the world at what I do and I knew that would get me through the fight. Sometimes when you walk in there, though, you just want to get it done and that’s what happened tonight. I wanted to put on a good performance so I apologise, although I thought it was quite a good fight. Now I want to take some time off if I’m honest. I want to be back in December so not too much time but it will be nice to take a couple of weeks off and enjoy a holiday.”

 

Leslie Smith def. Amanda Lemos by TKO at 2:53 of round 2

Both women set a pace that was destined to end in a finish. Smith was the better-conditioned athlete and after a fairly even first few minutes, took over and ended things with some hard elbows against the fence.

 

Smith calls out Bethe Correia after the fight

 

Smith, post-fight: “Man, she was solid. She had great leg kicks, she was intense and she fought like a pro inside there. It was nice to have such a high-intensity challenge and I’m pretty happy about the whole thing. I called out Bethe because I think it would make a great fight. She got where she is because of her mouth and so I want to use everything that she’s worked for to get myself a bit higher up. I’ve been fighting for everything that I’ve got and she’s been able to talk her way to get to where she’s at, so I want what she’s got.”