On Saturday, the UFC hosted their ninth event on FUEL TV at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
While they lost their biggest hometown star in 205-pound contender Alexander Gustafsson, the card still delivered from start to finish with plenty of entertaining events for the fans to enjoy.
Let’s check out who the biggest winners and losers were from this free card.
BIGGEST WINNER
Gegard Mousasi: “The Dreamcatcher” had everything to lose and not much to gain with a win over Ilir Latifi in the FUEL TV main event, but he did exactly what he had to.
Mousasi, who was going to box in the 2012 Summer Olympics before suffering an ACL injury, used a stiff, precise jab to keep “The Sledgehammer” at bay for the duration of the fight and didn’t have to do much else.
The former Strikeforce and DREAM champ lived up to his top 10 billing and put on a convincing, technical performance en route to a unanimous decision victory.
WINNER
Conor McGregor: His fight with Marcus Brimmage did make it to the main card, but many fans and analysts were still calling it “The People’s Main Event.”
The bout didn’t last long, but McGregor lived up to the hype scoring a knockout in just over a minute. The win knocks the ninth consecutive stoppage for “Irish” and put the UFC’s featherweight division is on notice.
WINNER
Brad Pickett: “One Punch” was determined to prove he was still a contender Saturday night, coming off of a disappointing split decision loss to Eddie Wineland at UFC 155 in December.
Mike Easton put forth an excellent effort, but Pickett’s boxing was just a little bit better and he landed a couple more takedowns to seal a quality win.
WINNER
Tom Lawlor: Lawlor desperately needed a victory after going 1-2 in his past three fights, but he had his hands full with decorated Judoka Michael Kupier at UFC on FUEL 9.
Despite an obvious knee injury, “The Filthy Mauler” managed to execute perfect takedown defense early in the second round before locking up a textbook guillotine choke. Lawlor, one of the UFC’s biggest fan favorites, picked up a huge win here.
BIGGEST LOSER
Phil De Fries: Quite frankly, anyone can get knocked out by anyone at heavyweight. However, the fact that Phil De Fries got KO’ed after a failed takedown attempt where his head hit Matt Mitrione’s hip bone is completely ridiculous.
Yes, there was follow-up ground and pound, but still just an outrageous way for a fight to end 19 seconds into the first round.
After starting his career 8-0, De Fries has now lost three of his past four bouts and is definitely in danger of getting his pink slip now.
LOSER
Mike Easton: The Alliance MMA/Team Lloyd Irvin standout really needed a win after getting upset by Raphael Assuncao at UFC on FOX 5 in December.
Despite a very skilled and gutsy performance against Brad Pickett Saturday, “One Punch” did just enough to edge out a split decision victory. A very tough break for Easton, who likely falls out of the UFC’s top 10 bantamweight ranks after this.
LOSER
Ryan Couture: Making his UFC debut, the inexperienced Couture was a huge underdog against former “The Ultimate Fighter” winner Ross Pearson.
The fact that he was TKO’ed in the second round isn’t the biggest letdown. The real disappointment is the fact that Couture’s pressure against the cage was working for the most part until he got rocked with a big punch.
LOSER
Michael Johnson: Johnson was putting on a show against Reza Madadi on Saturday, with the scorecards likely tied one round a piece heading into the third and final frame.
However, the Iranian-Swedish fighter refused to go home without a win and scored big with an arm-triangle choke in the third, earning the tap out.
There’s no shame in losing a close fight, but Johnson should have closed this one out with a vicious head kick near the end of the first round. He has now suffered back-to-back losses.