UFC Fight Night 76 is another Saturday afternoon Fight Pass-exclusive event, taking place in Dublin, Ireland. The card originally featured a heavyweight matchup between Ben Rothwell and Stipe Miocic; however Miocic pulled out with an injury and UFC matchmakers were not able to find a replacement opponent on short notice. Without this bout, there are very few interesting fights remaining on the card, and so it will be a rather short write-up. On a somewhat related note, why is Miocic – one of the top heavyweight contenders – always being placed on Fight Pass cards?
Main Event: [#20 LW] Dustin Poirier vs [#82 LW] Joseph Duffy
Worth: $10
Why: 26-year-old Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Porrier has been a mainstay of the UFC’s featherweight division, where he racked up a respectable 8-3 record; however after a TKO loss to Conor McGregor, Porrier decided to move up in weight. He scored first-round TKOs in his first two fights as a lightweight, and now gets to take on Joseph Duffy, who also happens to be the last fighter to hold a victory over McGregor. Even though the McGregor fight will be touted as Duffy’s biggest accomplishment (at least until the Conor hype dies down), 27-year-old ‘Irish Joe’ has proven to be a great prospect in his own right, holding two first-round stoppages in his two UFC fights to date. Both guys are well rounded and always fun to watch, so this should be a great scrap.
Fight: [#10 FLW] Louis Smolka vs [#13 FLW] Patrick Holohan
Worth: $2.50
Why: The flyweight division is the youngest of all the men’s weight classes in UFC, and the promotion has really struggled to build depth in the division, or to produce viable contenders for the dominant champion Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson. The winner of this fight will be taking a big step up a very short ladder, and may be next in line for a title shot after the winner of an upcoming bout between Jussier da Silva and Henry Cejudo. Despite the divisional implications, I have a hard time getting excited for this fight (as is the case with most flyweight bouts).
Fight: [#57 LW] Norman Parke vs [NR] Reza Madadi
Worth: $1
Why: The most interesting thing about this fight is the fact that Reza Madadi is making his return to the Octagon after serving an 18-month sentence for robbing a designer handbag store. Madadi’s last fight was in 2013, when he submitted Michael Johnson, who since then went on to become one of the top contenders in the division. This makes me mildly curious about how Reza will perform in his return, though my expectations are not very high.
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Fight Pass Event Worth: $13.50
Fight Pass Year-to-Date Cost: $99.90
Fight Pass Year-to-Date Value: $-11.40
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