Paddy Holohan got the evening off to a great start for the Irish with dominant win

If not for Shane Howell's sublime choke defence, this fight would have never made it out of the first round.

But the American was able to fight off the tireless efforts from Paddy Holohan to slip his forearm under Howell's chin to secure a rear naked choke. Holohan moved to 11-1-1 with a victory that saw him display near flawless grappling as he spent the vast majority of the fight controlling his opponent from back mount. "The Hooligan" began the bout by showing crisp striking, switching stances sporadically to confuse Howell (13-9) before taking him down and working for the sub. The next two rounds may as well have been a replay of the first and Holohan found himself in zero difficulty as he eased his way back into the win column, getting the judges' decision (30-27 x 3) much to the delight of the Boston fans.