Hyped to the moon ahead of his UFC on FOX Sports 1 fight against Max Holloway, Conor McGregor had no choice but to win.
And win he did in front of a wildly supportive Boston crowd. Unfortunately, a mid-fight knee injury slowed down his offense, and while his dominance over Holloway was never in question, his ability to finish his opponent–or even demonstrate killer instinct in the latter half of the fight–absolutely was.
Still, with a unanimous decision win and a standing ovation from the crowd, McGregor keeps the momentum alive.
The real standout of the UFC on Fox Sports 1 prelims, however, was Michael McDonald. After lighting up the ever-resilient Brad Pickett with a wild striking attack in round one, McDonald scored a second round submission finish via triangle choke. His momentum was cut short by a submission loss to Renan Barao, but McDonald proved Saturday that his run is only just beginning.
UFC on FOX Sports 1 prelim results:
James Vick b. Ramsey Nijem via submission (guillotine) at :58 of Round One
Ovince St. Preux b. Cody Donovan via KO (punches) at 2:07 of Round One
Manny Gamburyan b. Cole Miller via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Diego Brandao b. Daniel Pineda via UD (29-28×3)
Steven Siler b. Mike Brown via KO (punches) at :50 of Round One
Conor McGregor b. Max Holloway via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Michael McDonald b. Brad Pickett via submission (triangle) at 3:43 of Round Two