Today brought about the news that Dublin's Cathal Pendred has retired from the sport of mixed martial arts.
Pendred's career with the UFC had been up and down since he vacated his welterweight title with Cage Warriors to enter The Ultimate Fighter House, and the reaction from fans of the sport towards him has always been more unusual than most, as for someone who has never been a headline name for the UFC, he sure does draw a lot of interest.
Always well supported by Irish MMA fans at the Dublin events, but regularly mocked on twitter and reddit, Cathal has certainly had an eventful career that drew a lot of attention towards him, and regardless of whether you supported him or took the piss out of him, he's left his mark on Irish MMA.
Here are 7 moments from his UFC career that we won't be forgetting any time soon:
The Comeback
'UFC Fight Night 46 - McGregor vs. Brandao' was a truly incredible night for Irish sport. Irish MMA was riding a wave of popularity with the emergence of Conor McGregor, but the 3 Arena was rocked to it's foundations as a number of spectacular performances were put in, leaving the country with an undeniable buzz around the fast-growing sport.
Pendred was a big part of it, as he personified the Irish fighting spirit and refused to give up despite taking an absolute beating from his TUF 'Team Penn' teammate Mike King, who was later done for PEDs.
Pendred somehow remained conscious, took down his exhausted opponent, and sank in a rear-naked choke to complete one a truly remarkable comeback, and the Dublin crowd went ballistic.
The Streak
After the fireworks of his first UFC performance, Pendred never hit those heights in terms of excitement again, but he did proceed to defeat his next three opponents, in the space of 11 months.
Pendred's ability to keep himself in fighting shape all-year-round saw him take on five fights in his first year with the UFC, and after he won his first four, he entered the fifth with the knowledge that a win would see him do something no fighter had ever done by going 5-0 in his first year with the UFC.
Sadly, he was well beaten by John Howard via split decision, something which drew heavy criticism from all corners of the MMA community, even UFC President Dana White:
The only thing worse than that fight was the score!!! Split decision????
— Dana White (@danawhite) July 12, 2015
It wasn't Pendred's fault that he was awarded some possibly favourable decisions in his time, but he was certainly treated like it was.
The Pirouette
An unforgettable moment in an otherwise forgettable fight. Montano kept running away, so Cathal started taking the piss.
The Entrances
Every time Cathal made the walk to the Octagon, he did so with Irish football anthem "Put 'Em Under Pressure" blaring through the stadium. We loved him for that.
The Dolphin
A fantastic story saw Cathal become something of a viral internet celebrity after it emerged that he had rescued a Dolphin that was stranded on the shore in Doonbeg.
I just spent an hour in the sea at Doonbeg trying to save a baby dolphin. He was very hurt but alive and well now! ? pic.twitter.com/LlteQKznHj
— Cathal Pendred (@Pendred) April 27, 2014
The internet swooned for a muscular man coming to the aid of an endangered Dolphin. Heroic.
The CM Punk Beef
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of Pendred's retirement is the realisation that we will never see the super-fight between Pendred and his long-term twitter adversary CM Punk.
Pendred voiced his unhappiness at the treatment former WWE star CM Punk was getting from Dana, like many other fighters, when the news first broke, but when 'The Punisher' took the piss out of Punk's striking, things got personal:
I've been called out by everybody.I'm an easy target.YOU, are a coward and a pussy.Shouldn't you call out somebody in the top ten? @Pendred
— Coach (@CMPunk) August 11, 2015
You can recount that engagement in all it's glory here, but things died down after Cathal said the following:
My striking has looked atrocious in the UFC so far, and that’s the type of guy I am, I have no problem ripping it out of myself. But that (the CM Punk footage) made me look good. I’ve seen boxercise classes where people were hitting the pads better than that.
CM Punk too the high road after hearing of Pendred's retirement:
Respect. https://t.co/iPOmyq6Ocv
— Coach (@CMPunk) November 25, 2015
The Time He Got Followed By Chicharito
Former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez liked what he saw at UFC Mexico:
After 6 weeks in Mexico I leave with at least one (quite notable) Mexican fan... pic.twitter.com/4Cak1tebeG
— Cathal Pendred (@Pendred) June 16, 2015
And so the Cathal Pendred UFC story comes to a close.
It was short, eventful, and entertaining, and while some chose to take the piss out of his style, or his possibly favourable decision wins, we couldn't help but admire how he never shirked a challenge, always gave his best, and always left the Octagon to a chorus of 'Olé Olé Olé'.
