After months of hype leading to his UFC signing, Conor McGregor’s octagon debut lived up to the high expectations.
The Irishman needed just 67 seconds to run over Marcus Brimage, knocking him out at UFC on FUEL 9 at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm.
After the two had a heated moment in Friday’s weigh-ins, Brimage came out aggressively, charging forward and throwing power strikes in an attempt to overwhelm his opponent. He landed several, but McGregor stayed composed and skillfully picked his counters.
The fight-changer was an uppercut that put Brimage on wobbly legs. McGregor followed up with two more uppercuts that sent Brimage to the mat, and then finished him with a series of ground strikes.
Afterward, McGregor said he used Brimage’s emotion against him.
“I could tell he was emotionally attached to the contest, and I thought he would overthrow the punches and he did,” he said.
McGregor’s career record is stockpiled with finishes. He’s never been to a decision, with Brimage his 12th knockout victim. Overall, the featherweight prospect is now 13-2.
Meanwhile, Brimage lost for the first time after winning his first three octagon bouts. He dropped to 6-2.