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MMA

19th Jan 2015

Vine: Cathal Pendred grinds out contentious victory to extend unbeaten UFC run

The Punisher did enough to sway the judges

Ben Kiely

The Dubliner earned a somewhat controversial unanimous decision over Sean Spencer

After scoring an early takedown and dominating the clinch, things turned sour for the Punisher. Pendred was rocked with a strong hook followed by a barrage of heavy punches mid-way through the opening round. He showed great heart to stay standing and see out the end of the round, despite being noticeably rocked.

Spencer arguably won the exchanges on the feet with the Dubliner. His boxing and counter-striking appeared to be hurting the Boston-born fighter. However, Pendred kept it competitive with his striking and had continued success with his leg kicks. Pendred also dominated the grappling exchanges.

At the final bell, both fighters celebrated as if they won the fight. However, there could only be one winner and the judges awarded Pendred the unanimous decision victory (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).