#marcus brimage

Marcus Brimage KOs Zhumabek Tursyn via head kick - UFC Fight Night 55: Rockhold vs. Bisping

Brimage was a TUF 14 competitor, fairly liked following his stint on the show. He was inexperienced but managed to rack up a 3-0 record at featherweight in the UFC (6-1) before he was basically sent out to die against a certain Irishman in Boston. In fact, here’s Brimage’s schedule after his 3-0 UFC start.

Dude went from fighting Jimy Hettes to fighting the debuting Conor McGregor. Then he capped off his UFC run by being hung out to dry vs the debuting Jimmie Rivera and Cody Garbrandt. And while many of you may be thinking that it didn’t really mean much cause that was all three of their debuts in the UFC, Rivera, Garbrandt, and McGregor were considered future title contenders long before they got to the UFC and the UFC knew that.

In recent years, this date has been critical across a number of competitions.

The stakes tend to be high with any fixture at this time of year. Seasons are drawing to a close and European competition is in its knockout phase.

Accordingly, we open with a couple of games from the continental cup competitions.

Toulon 29-14 Leinster: 2014 Heineken Cup Quarter-Final

Stade Mayol was the venue for the last-eight tie between, dream-team, Toulon and an ageing Leinster side.

There had been heavy investment in the southern-French side and they were returning in abundance.

In search of consecutive titles, they won a titanic battle with Leinster. In doing so, they put a nail in the coffin of the golden generation of Irish club rugby.

The likes of O’Driscoll and D’Arcy were on the way out and this result kick-started the transition.

PSG 2-2 Manchester City: 2016 Champions League Semi-Final

Only a year ago, this may be fresh in the memory.

In what would be Ibrahimovic’s last season in the French capital, PSG were hoping to send him off in style. Zlatan missed a pen in this game but went on to score PSG’s first in the 41st minute.

PSG took the lead but City clawed them back.

Manchester City would go on to the last-four for the first time in their history. Reaching uncharted territory under the stewardship on Manuel Pelligrini.

Everton 3-0 Arsenal: 2014 Premier League

At the time, it was a pretty significant result.

Both teams were in serious competition for a top four spot.

Prior to kick-off, the Toffees were fifth, four points behind Arsenal, who occupied fourth. Arsenal had played a game more so a win for Everton would leave their fate in their own hands.

Everton came out the blocks harder than Floyd Mayweather goes at his girlfriends. They rushed into a two goal lead, with Lukaku tormenting the Arsenal defence.

Arsenal had the last laugh as they finished fourth, seven points ahead of Everton.

Conor McGregor KO Vs Marcus Brimage: UFC on Fuel TV 9

Last but obviously not least.

The Notorious was a rather unknown entity, four years ago.

Within the MMA circles, the hype was building. Boasting a fierce reputation in Europe, McGregor was eager to prove his worth in the UFC.

We all know what happened next. McGregor has changed every aspect of the game.

Cody Garbrandt vs Marcus Brimage

While Team Alpha Male has fallen on tough times recently, Cody Garbrandt (8-0) has only increased his star. The bantamweight prospect has been great so far as a pro, landing 7 KOs (two inside the UFC). In terms of physical skills and background, you can’t ask for a better blue chip prospect. A standout wrestler with amateur boxing experience, Garbrandt has major power, surreal athleticism and solid fundamentals upon which to build.

Looks like that recently found power is transferring to the UFC.