Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heads to Ireland for an injury-laden mixed martial arts (MMA) event this Saturday (October 24, 2015), as the 3Arena in Dublin plays host to UFC Fight Night 76: "Holohan vs. Smolka," live on UFC Fight Pass.
Catch all the action LIVE with a main card start time of 4 p.m ET (for up-to-date UFC Fight Night 76 results click here).
Below is everything you need to know to stay on top of the Fight Night event in Dublin.
Who: Paddy Holohan vs. Louis Smolka
What: UFC Fight Night 76
When: Sat., October 24 2015, beginning at 1 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass
Where: 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland
How To Watch: UFC Fight Pass main card at 4 p.m. ET; UFC Fight Pass "Prelims" under card at 1 p.m. ET
Live UFC Fight Night 76 results: Play-by-play coverage stream right here
Why It Matters: When UFC delivers an event featuring Paddy Holohan and Louis Smolka as a main event -- no matter the circumstances -- it is going to be really tough to point out why the event matters.
Neither Holohan or Smolka have the tools to become a top five Flyweight, although Smolka could potentially flirt with the top 15 with a win on Saturday night.
Ultimately, UFC Fight Night 76 will be a card many fight fans will skip altogether, but there are a few redeeming qualities for the Dublin event that I get into below.
What's Hot: Five legitimately talented prospects are set to battle at the 3Arena, including a sensational Welterweight affair pitting Nicolas Dalby against Darren Till. Both men are undefeated, and could one day be contenders in the stacked 170-pound division.
Scott Askham, Tom Breese, and Stevie Ray are all worth a watch as well, as each man has provided highlight reel finishes in their short Octagon careers thus far.
What's Not: There is a laundry list of issues with UFC Fight Night 76, but the most glaring drawback is the fact UFC brass lost both the original main and co-main event due to injuries.
First it was Heavyweight slugger Stipe Miocic bowing out of his scheduled co-main event bout against Ben Rothwell (details here). Then, just days before the event, Irish hero Joe Duffy was forced to withdraw from his main event tilt against Dustin Poirier due to an untimely concussion.
That left fight fans with the completely unacceptable Holohan vs. Smolka main event for Fight Pass.
Isn't it great the subscription service costs $9.99 a month?!
Original Card vs Actual Card:
As previously mentioned, both the main and the co-main event were scrapped in the two weeks prior to UFC Fight Night 76.
With the event going down in Ireland, UFC could not find a suitable replacement to face Ben Rothwell or Dustin Poirier, thus forcing the bouts to be scratched altogether.
How The "Prelims" Look: Just as paltry as the rest of the card.
Casual fans likely won't know a single fighter on the "Prelims," but that doesn't mean there aren't a handful of fighters that deserve your attention this afternoon.
While I would recommend doing anything but watch Darren Elkins fight, I do suggest catching Tom Breese style on Cathal Pendred, as well as witnessing Stevie Ray and Scott Askham handle their business inside the Octagon.
Ultimately, UFC Fight Night 76 is slim pickings throughout the card.
Who Needs A Win Badly: This portion is reserved for fighters who could be fighting for their jobs today, rather than contenders or title challengers needing victory. Let's take a look at those who need to pull it together:
Bubba Bush vs. Garreth McLellan: With UFC brass recently trimming the fat on the roster, middling fighters are no longer safe to think they can afford two straight losses. If Bush and McLellan want to keep their jobs secure, they must win tonight in Dublin.
Norman Parke (vs. Reza Madadi): "Stormin" Norman has found himself on the wrong side of two straight split decisions, and another loss in Dublin tonight could spell the end of his Octagon career. Taking on the returning Reza Madadi, the Northern Irishman must right the ship in front of his hometown fans.
Interest Level: 2/10
UFC Fight Night 76 was a mediocre card before the main and co-main event were scrapped, but without Dustin Poirier, Joe Duffy, Stipe Miocic and Ben Rothwell, the Dublin event has become a complete dumpster fire.
There is absolutely no doubt this event is one of the worst in promotion history, with little redeeming qualities, and a truly unfortunate main event.
The reality is that injuries are simply a part of the sport, and losing a key fight here and there could be the death knell for a weak international card like UFC Fight Night 76.
With not much to look forward to this afternoon, you can bet UFC brass will be excited to get this event over with and move on to UFC Fight Night 77 in just two weeks time.
Check out the full UFC Fight Night 76 card right here:
UFC Fight Pass Main Event:
125 lbs.: Paddy Holohan vs. Louis Smolka
UFC Fight Pass Main Card (4 p.m. ET):
155 lbs.: Reza Madadi vs. Norman Parke
170 lbs.: Nicolas Dalby vs. Darren Till
125 lbs.: Jon Delos Reyes vs. Neil SeeryUFC Fight Pass "Prelims" (1 p.m. ET):
155 lbs.: Mickael Lebout vs. Stevie Ray
115 lbs.: Ericka Almeida vs. Aisling Daly
185 lbs.: Scott Askham vs. Krzysztof Jotko
170 lbs.: Tom Breese vs. Cathal Pendred
145 lbs.: Darren Elkins vs. Robert Whiteford
185 lbs.: Bubba Bush vs. Garreth McLellan
See you then!