CATHAL PENDRED WAS victorious tonight at UFC 188 in Mexico City.
Pendred scored a unanimous-decision win over Augusto Montano, giving the Irish welterweight his fourth consecutive triumph in the octagon.
For the third time in a row, it was the judges’ scorecards that gave Pendred the result, although there was no controversy on this occasion as the SBG fighter thoroughly deserved the win.
It was an uneventful first round but Pendred was certainly the more aggressive fighter, scoring with some good leg-kicks and attempting two — albeit unsuccessful — takedowns against the fence. At the end of the frame, referee Herb Dean warned Montano due to his reluctance to engage.
Montano caught Pendred with a right hand early in the second round but the Dubliner recovered well, driving the Mexican back against the cage before taking the fight to the ground. Dominant grappling from there gave Pendred another round on the scorecards.
Going into the third and final round, with Pendred up by two, Montano needed to chase a finish but looked clearly exhausted as the Irish fighter pushed the pace once again.
All three judges scored the bout 29-28 to Pendred, who remains undefeated since November 2010. In the UFC’s welterweight division, only Neil Magny (7) can now boast a longer winning streak than Pendred (4).
