At UFC Fight Night 76 in Dublin on Saturday, the main event between Louis Smolka and Paddy Holohan lifted the pall cast over a lackluster card plagued by scrapped bouts. After almost two rounds of skilled grappling from both fighters, Smolka caught the rapidly-tiring Dubliner in a rear naked choke from back mount, following a punishing ground and pound flurry, and got the tap in the last minute.
Fight Night 76 didn't get much buzz even before misfortune befell it. Initially headlined by Joe Duffy and Dustin Poirier, that fight was canceled entirely after Duffy suffered a concussion. Prior to that and 11 days before the event, Stipe Miocic pulled out of his co-mail bout against Ben Rothwell, also due to an injury. Thus, Holohan vs Smolka became the main event, capping the already underwhelming card with a three-round fight between unranked flyweights.
Unranked as they may be, their exciting fight was a great end to the card. Both fighters came in touting a high percentage of finish victories, with at least half coming by way of submission. In fact, their careers in the UFC followed similar trajectories—at least up until this fight. Holohan and Smolka, who trains out of Hawaii, both had 3-1 UFC records coming into Fight Night 76, but it was Smolka's superior conditioning and defense that earned him the win.
Seconds into the first round, Holohan shot in for a double leg—but was bent at the waist, allowing Smolka to easily stuff it as Holohan drove him into the cage. Holohan adapted quickly, ultimately getting him to the ground with a waist drag and then into side control. Smolka remained calm fending off Holohan's frenetic submission attempts. While Holohan continued on the offensive for much of the round, Smolka never seemed to be in any real danger. An arm-in guillotine attempt was easily thwarted, and Smolka methodically worked his way out of the inferior positions Holohan kept getting on him. By the end of round one, Smolka had turned the tide, controlling Holohan, getting back to the feet, and rocking him with strikes—including a head kick after shaking Holohan off his back.
In the second round, Smolka seemed reluctant to let things go to the ground, understandably wary of Holohan's grappling. But he ended up there anyway, again stuck in Holohan's control. After staving off a rear naked choke attempt while locked in a body triangle, Smolka managed to turn around in Holohan's closed guard, quickly parlaying Holohan's rubber guard attempt into escaping it entirely. The fight got back to the feet, and Smolka got Holohan into what looked like a solid high-elbow guillotine. But he was unable to close the distance between their hips, and they quickly went back to the ground. Holohan's energy was lagging by this point, and Smolka's deliberate game plan staunched Holohan's throw-everything-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks approach. His patience paid off; by the time he sunk the rear naked choke in, Holohan was hurting in a variety of ways and seem to have exhausted any reserves he had. Add that to Smolka being on his back, pressing his hips down to flatten and immobilize Holohan, and any defense would've been a tall order for many fighters.
Irish eyes were decidedly not smiling (I'm sorry), including Holohan's teammate and current featherweight champion Conor McGregor. But Holohan's grappling game has holes that aren't insurmountable. Mostly, it seems they require consciousness. Holohan's movement and transitions are smooth, skilled, and intuitive, but his submission attempts come from wild hopes rather than calculated set-ups and seized opportunities. His aggression and energy are exciting; he just needs to wield them more judiciously than he did in this fight. Holohan is also imminently likable. In his heartfelt post-fight interview, he said, ""I never say I'm the best. But when I come out here, I give yous everything."
Smolka, on the other hand, appears to know exactly what to deploy and when. The extent of his defense and escape knowledge is clearly considerable, and he doesn't panic or react impulsively. His defense against Holohan's rear naked choke attempt was perfect and calm, even with Holohan's arm sunk in to a threatening depth. His striking is powerful and precise; if he hadn't seized the rear naked choke, Smolka would have stopped the fight with the ground and pound that preceded it.
While Smolka may have been flying under the radar prior to Fight Night 76, his performance in Dublin is an indication of his potential and should put him on the map as a prospect to watch. With an 80% finish rate and only one loss on his record, via decision to #12 flyweight Chris Cariaso, he's well on his way.
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