A humbled Patrick Holohan stood dejected in the Octagon in the famed Ultimate Fighter gym in Las Vegas in April 2013 as referee Herb Dean raised the hand of his foe, Canadian Josh Hill at the TUF 18 preliminary fights. The previous 10 minutes happened to be some of the worst of his sporting life. Holohan flew to Las Vegas on a whim left Nevada dejected, uncertain of his UFC future.
For those in the know, Holohan (9-0-1) had long been a top prospect in Europe. His trademark guard eclipses most European fighters — perhaps only surpassed by Bellator’s Marcin Held — but against Hill his ground game didn’t look quite as sharp as usual. This wasn’t the same Holohan that submitted Artemij Sitenkov in his previous fight. Sitenkov, who had submitted Conor McGregor in 30 seconds earlier in his career, couldn’t handle Holohan’s never ending onslaught of submission attempts and was forced to tap to a triangle choke.
So, what caused Holohan to under perform in his TUF opportunity? The answer is a culmination of things. Prior to his fight with Hill, Holohan had been out of action for a considerable amount of time and the fact that he was fighting a bigger, stronger bantamweight, plus the jet lag of travelling across the Atlantic, played a part. But as the months passed by after the fight, word got out that Holohan fought with a serious injury to his lower back. Holohan had suffered significant damage to his spinal discs, swelling had began to compromise his movement and nerves.
After Holohan’s fight with Hill, TUF coach and former UFC title contender Miesha Tate consoled the Dubliner and remarked how they felt Hill did little in the way of damage and they felt frustrated watching the fight. Tate wasn’t the only onlooker left disappointed. UFC head honcho Dana White said immediately following the bout: “I don’t like to see guys just come in and try to wrestle that aren’t well rounded, and Josh Hill is one of these guys that just tries to wrestle you.”
Holohan never made excuses for that loss and after returning to Ireland he made the decision to go under knife and have his back repaired once and for all. It was a decision that put him on the sidelines for over a year and forced him to watch from the wings as his teammates Cathal Pendred, Gunnar Nelson and most notably McGregor began to build successful careers in the UFC. While this might well have been frustrating for “The Hooligan” his injury and subsequent layoff might have been a blessing in disguise as his return to health coincided with the UFC’s return to Ireland. Matchmaker Sean Shelby came calling with an opportunity Holohan couldn’t refuse — a hometown shot at Octagon redemption against Josh Sampo.
The Dublin-born Holohan has spent his entire fighting life on the famed mats of Ireland’s Straight Blast Gym, honing his skills under the tutelage of John Kavanagh and earning the reputation as perhaps his most technically sound pupil. His fighting style is cerebral at times; he’s a fighter whose mental capabilities surpass any athletic gifts he has. Holohan spent his entire career thus far fighting at bantamweight, which considering he walks around between 136-138 pounds is astonishing, but his skills had masked the weight disadvantage he often had between opponents prior to his Ultimate Fighter tryout he has amassed an unbeaten record with all but one fight ending in an early stoppage.
Holohan’s return to fighting has been made all the more interesting by the fact that he will be dropping to a flyweight for the first time. Given his opponent is Josh Sampo, a submission stylist who has made a name in minor league organizations as a finisher, we are bound to see an exciting display.
For Holohan, Saturday night is an opportunity for redemption. A rare opportunity to show that his fight on TUF wasn’t a fair demonstration of his talents. It’s also a chance to show his year recovering from injury wasn’t a year spent in vain but a year spent readying himself for a speedy ascent up the flyweight ladder toward a title shot.