Welcome to CagedInsider’s coverage of UFC 229, a pay-per-view event featuring some Irish dude and some Dagestani dude in the main event. But more on Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov later.
Now it’s about the prelims – the Fight Pass prelims, to be exact. First up: Tony Martin and Ryan LaFlare.
Martin’s been doing okay as a lightweight, but he’s moving up to welterweight tonight, because why cut weight when you can eat more cheeseburgers and be happy?
LaFlare’s only two career losses have come to Demian Maia and Alex Oliveira, although that Oliveira loss last year was via KO. You know how that goes.
The two seem quite content to kickbox, and it’s pretty even at first, with LaFlare blasting his opponent with a shin to the ribs and Martin pegging him repeatedly with right hands. But in Round 2 Martin drops LaFlare with a punch, and for the rest of the round the former Fight Night main eventer is stuck trying to dodge ground and pound and submission attempts.
BIG right hand from @TMartinMMA drops LaFlare in round 2! #UFC229 pic.twitter.com/scbnckd2K0
— UFC (@ufc) October 6, 2018
Then comes Round 3, when Martin lands a high-kick clean on LaFlare’s dome. That’s all she wrote. LaFlare is out.
Head kick finish to start the night on @UFCFightPass!
Wow @TMartinMMA! #UFC229 pic.twitter.com/ubeMRUpR3Y
— UFC (@ufc) October 6, 2018