Break it Down: UFC Fight Night Glasgow Prelims

This coming Saturday the UFC will make their long awaited debut in Scotland, with the UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites event set to be held from the sold-out SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow.

Over the course of the week, we will be dissecting all seven of the cards bouts that feature fighters from the UK. This edition will feature two of the bouts set for the Fox Sports 1 preliminary card, with the tussle between Robert Whiteford and Paul Redmond set to kick-off the televised prelims, whilst Vaughan Lee and Paddy Holohan will clash in the final bout before the six-fight main card.

Robert Whiteford (11-2) vs. Paul Redmond (10-5)

Armadale, West Lothian’s Robert “The Hammer” Whiteford is a 33-year old judoka that will be making his third UFC appearance on Saturday night. In October 2013, Whiteford became the first ever mixed martial artist from Scotland to step foot inside the Octagon, coming in on five-days notice for an injured Mike Wilkinson against fellow judoka Jimy Hettes. Unfortunately Whiteford’s bravery would not be rewarded, as he would lose consciousness in the second round courtesy of a triangle choke. Whiteford would make amends in his second bout, earning an upset victory over Daniel Pineda in March of last year. He was then slated to face Dennis Siver last October in Sweden, only to withdraw with an injury.

Whiteford is fairly well-rounded as a mixed martial artist. On the feet he does an excellent job from the southpaw stance at leading with the straight left-hand before wrapping a looping right-hook around his opponents guard. He also likes throw his rear-kick towards the calf of his opponents front-leg, causing them to momentarily lose their balance. After finding a home for the low-kick, Whiteford will often disguise the strike and send it towards the head of his foes (see fight versus Daniel Pineda).

Coming from a judo background Whiteford is obviously very physically strong and is usually dominant in the clinch position. In his earlier fights he would look to bring the fight to the mat from the clinch, however more recently he’s switched his preference to the use of single and double leg takedowns. From the top position he doesn’t tend to look for the submission, preferring to smother and wear down the opposition with strikes.

Paul “Redser” Redmond, 28, is a grappling specialist who trains out of Team Ryano in Dublin alongside Neil Seery. The BJJ purple belt and house DJ became a fan favourite during his stint with Cage Warriors, winning seven of eight bouts, with three coming courtesy of his patented toe-hold. Like Whiteford, he was also signed to the UFC as a late replacement and took on the highly-touted Mirsad Bektic back in January, going on to lose via decision.

Redmond has fairly basic, but fundamentally sound striking. He primarily uses his boxing and strikes patiently, usually attempting to counter his opponents with tight hooks from close quarters. He keeps his chin tucked nicely on the feet and has already proven he can take a punch, as he was hit on numerous occasions against the ultra-powerful Bektic.

“Redser” is an excellent MMA grappler. He is very opportunistic in his attempts to bring the fight to the mat and has been very successful thus far in controlling his opponents once grounded. In recent fights he has primarily used his submission skills to finish the fight, however he is also renowned for his violent ground and pound.

Stylistically this bout favours the Scotsman. Redmond’s suffocating top control would likely give Whiteford trouble, however with Whiteford’s judo background, it’s going to be very difficult for Redmond to get him on his back. Whiteford should recognise he has the advantage in the striking coming in to this bout, and thus should use his judo defensively to remain upright and outpoint Redmond with his more diverse striking attack for a competitive, but clear-cut decision victory.

Prediction: Robert Whiteford via decision

Vaughan Lee (14-10-1) vs. Paddy Holohan (11-1-1)

Vaughan “Love” Lee (14-10-1), 32, is a seven-fight UFC veteran hailing from Birmingham. Lee entered the UFC after trying out for season fourteen of The Ultimate Fighter. Lee broke the record for most submissions during the tryouts and was awarded a UFC contract instead of a spot on the show.  The UTC Birmingham and Phuket Top Team fighter has had an inconsistent run in the UFC thus far, alternating between wins and losses in each of his UFC bouts. In fairness to Lee, he has faced some of the bantamweight division’s best including TJ Dillashaw, Raphael Assuncao, Iuri Alcantara and Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto. He will be making his flyweight debut on Saturday night.

Lee’s record definitely does not give an accurate representation of how skilled of a mixed martial artist he is. His bread and butter is his grappling- like his opponent, Lee is dangerous from both top and bottom position with submissions, however he excels at latching onto submissions in hectic scrambles, like in his bout versus Japanese legend Norifumi Yamamoto. He is persistent with his takedown attempts, however lacks the necessary technique to consistently implement it against the majority of the competitors in the UFC.

On the feet Lee is an excellent boxer who possesses a lightning quick and accurate jab from the southpaw stance. He doesn’t carry much power in his strikes, but is able to control the action on the feet by constantly peppering and pressuring his foes with punches. His clinic against Nam Phan is evidence of this, however also highlights the defensive error that cost him the fight against Alcantara. Lee likes to keep his hands relatively low, opting to pump out the jab from waist height.

Lee’s opponent will be Paddy “The Hooligan” Holohan, who is a 27-year old BJJ brown belt training out of the popular SBG Ireland camp in Dublin. Like Lee, Holohan attempted to enter the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter, however he was eliminated in the opening round on season eighteen of the reality show. Holohan has been very active since joining the UFC twelve months ago, with Saturday’s contest being his four scrap so far. He has been relatively successful thus far, earning the “Fight of the Night” bonus in a loss to Chris Kelades, sandwiched in between successes over Joshua Sampo and Shane Howell.

Holohan is very unpredictable with his selection of strikes, but is a little predictable with his approach. He loves to dart in with one or two strike attacks which are usually made-up of straight punches and a choice of kick. Because of this frantic approach, he leaves himself very susceptible to counter strikes.

Like Lee, Holohan is first and foremost a grappler. He uses his gangly frame to good use on the mat, ensnaring his opponents in his tricky guard and constantly using the butterfly guard to create space and initiate scrambles. “The Hooligan” is also an underrated offensive wrestler, although his defence at times is porous.

For me, this is the hardest fight on the entire card to predict. Lee has the decided advantage in experience and has the tools necessary to implement the same tactics that Josh Hill and Chris Kelades used too nullify Holohan- earning takedowns, stopping his submission attempts and controlling from top position. With that being said, it’s very difficult to gauge what version of Lee we’ll see on Saturday night, especially considering his fourteen month lay-off, the devastating loss to Alcantara and the weight cut to 125lbs.

Although I would not be shocked in the slightest to see Lee pull-off the minor upset here, Holohan is the more potent of the two on the feet and has a lot more momentum behind him coming into this one. Expect him to tag a hesitant Lee on the feet early, before sealing the deal with a choke in the opening stanza.

Prediction: Paddy Holohan via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in Round 1