UFC lightweight Joe Duffy’s tour of dominance in the Octagon continues. Not only did the Irish fighter defeat Ivan Jorge in the first round with a triangle choke, he earned $50,000 in a Performance of the Night bonus.
Both Duffy and Jorge started the fight exchanging, but it was Duffy who right away asserted his dominance, cracking the Brazilian with an array of punches and a jumping switch knee. The end came after Jorge attempted a takedown attempt from double underhooks, but in the transition, Duffy was able to twist at an angle and lock his feet together. As he circled to his back, he further cinched the lock. Duffy underhooked the right leg of Jorge as he stood to prevent being slammed and create the angle for the choke, forcing the tap at 3:05 of the first frame.
Also claiming a Performance of the Night bonus and $50,000 was Scotland’s own Steven Ray. The hometown fighter earned the money facing Leonardo Mafra, who exchanged with Ray throughout the course of the short bout, but ultimately was cracked by a right hand and stopped with follow-up punches. The end came at 2:30 of the first round.
Earning Fight of the Night honors were the women on the card as Joanne Calderwood and Cortney Casey put on a three-round battle where both fighters had to face adversity.
Casey, making her UFC debut, put it to The Ultimate Fighter 20 native early, cracking her with a series of rights that clearly stumbled the Scottish native. Eventually, however, Calderwood would recover, battering Casey in the clinch and from top position.
In the second round, Casey spent a portion of the round working from her back, but never came truly close to any real submissions, all while Calderwood battered her on top. By the third frame, Calderwood would eat the occasional shot, but had Casey backing up. Casey was eventually drilled with a spinning back kick to the body that sent her crumbling to the mat. She would manage to avoid being finished and even return to her feet, but Calderwood was in command the rest of the round. Both fighters would each earn $50,000 for their efforts, but the judges scored it 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27, all in favor of Calderwood.
UFC Fight Night 72 took place at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. The event aired on Fight Pass and Fox Sports 1.